Elégie Adagio
by skinnylovex
Summary: Bella's dream of going to the most honored music conservatory are finally fulfilled. Along the way, she meets some of the best friends she could ask for, and maybe a gorgeous piano player, too. All human AU.
1. Prelude

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I'm going to be updating this fic more often then "Deliverance In Sin" since the idea for this story is more fresh in my mind right now. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on "Deliverance," I'm just more into this idea at the moment. I'll try updating that once a week, maybe on Fridays.. I'm just so eager for this story and all these ideas keep flooding in! Anyway, read, REVIEW, and enjoy!

* * *

I hate airports. That's precisely why I'm sitting in one right now. I had about another hour and a half until my flight was scheduled for takeoff. All around me, people were sitting in the passenger area, some bouncing their legs up and down in anxiety, some sleeping. There was even a group of adolescent boys talking rather loudly. Across from me, a mother was giving the baby in her arms a bottle. I almost rolled my eyes as I took in my surroundings.

Yes, I definitely hated airports.

I reached for the bag at my feet and pulled it up to put on my lap. There were two things I was looking for- the first being easy to find. My iPod. My little piece of heaven. Home away from home. Okay that one didn't really fit, but it's the only way to describe how I feel about my square black soul mate. I always said having an iPod is like having a boyfriend, the only better thing about it is if there's something about it that displeases you, you can just hook it up to the computer and take it out.

I know that's going a little too far, but I can't help it.

I unraveled the wire of the earbuds and placed each one snugly in my ears. I scrolled through the artists selections, I suppose it was a little weird for a 17 year old girl to have composers like Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Ravel, De Falla, and Schubert dominating over their music player. Then again, I've always found myself weird. A weird girl, going to a weird school, at a weird airport, listening to weird music. Yep, that's me. I settled for Tchaikovsky, playing something at random. I almost snorted at what came on.

_Swan Lake._

The irony in that is that Swan is my last name. I suppose I _would_ find that funny. I pressed next on my iPod. I smiled slightly at the next choice. A simple nocturne. I settled back into my seat before putting my iPod onto the seat next to me and shuffled through my bag again. I had to dig around a bit through my disorganization to finally pull out the brochure I had been looking for.

It was a bit tattered, all in my eagerness to read and reread it over and over again. A year ago, if someone had asked me, I'd say going to the Colburn School of Music was a dream that would take me years to achieve. I chose Colburn for a reason, it was the exact opposite of what I have grown up with. I've lived in Forks, Washington my entire life. Colburn is located in the deepest parts of Los Angeles, California. Ah, Forks. Home of constant rain. And constant, well, nothing. Literally. I suppose the only thing worth being thankful for when living in Forks is that it's only an hour away from the nearest commercial city, Port Angeles. I wasn't the little-town type of girl, oh no. My dreams were big, too big for Forks. Colburn is exactly what I needed. And hey, it's always sunny in California, that part certainly was a perk.

But Colburn was a dream all in its own. It wasn't like applying for a regular university or college. Colburn takes only a certain amount of students every semester. There were only 3 cello spots available this coming Fall semester. How I had nabbed one of those positions, I'll never know. I'd auditioned for them 3 times in the past already, they were quite familiar with my face in my pre-screening video. It was quite a boring video actually, I set the camera on my face and introduced myself like I was being interviewed for a job. The only highlight of it was a clip of my last solo performance in high school, kindly added in by my father. That's probably the only reason why they accepted me.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to think I'm a creative person. I've even got some rondo's and sonata's in my head itching to be jotted down on some staff paper. But they wanted me to talk about me, which is difficult enough for me to say "hello, my name is Bella Swan and I'm a cellist, I'm hoping to get a degree in music and become a famous performer one day" without making myself seem so full of it. No, talking about myself was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

It's hard for me to explain why I love playing cello so much. I started out like other young musicians- on the violin. I never had a knack for it, so my teacher suggested I switch. As soon as I saw the big frame of a cello, I knew I was meant for it. Sure enough, it was the only thing I ever bothered to keep striving for. School didn't matter to me, besides my music classes, but being a musician means that all other subjects come easily as well. The only thing was I never bothered to sit down and figure out my calculus as much as I practiced every night.

It was odd really, for me to be playing an instrument at all; I was known to be really clumsy. To this day, I'd sprained my wrist 4 times- at one point both wrists were sprained together, broken a rib, fractured my legs at least one time each, and I've messed up my ankles so many times, I've lost count. Lucky for me, I've never broken my hand or any fingers. During the times my wrists were clad in restraints, I went crazy. I had 3 weeks of recovery, which meant 3 weeks of not being able to play. It was scary times, especially for my dad.

I inwardly groaned as a thought came into my head. I was so prone to getting hurt, my one fear was that I'd do something stupid and not be able to play at any time during the semester. My first semester at Colburn, the one that was crucial to my studies there. I guess I need to walk around with pillows attached to every limb. I could pass it off as me being precautious and not wanting to break my cello…

A voice over the loudspeaker of the airport broke me out of my thoughts.

"Now boarding, at gate 118, flight 1203 from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California."

"I grabbed my stuff as fast as I could, not even realizing that the hour had passed so quickly. Guess my thoughts really do tend to run away from me sometimes. I snatched up my bag and stuffed the brochure back in. The bag was already light, the only things I decided to carry onboard was my iPod, a book, an extra sweater, which was really stupid since I was_ leaving_ the rain not traveling back to it, my flight ticket, a magazine, and the new student papers I had received in the mail a couple weeks ago. My suitcases and cello were already safely (I hope) tucked away on the plane.

I was glad that Charlie only dropped me off at the airport, making our goodbyes as short as possible. I knew that if he were here with me, watching me board the plane, there was a chance he'd start to tear up about how proud he was of me. That was all I needed to hear before stepping onto the plane.

I made my way to the line that was already forming for the flight. About 10 minutes later, the flight attendant finally checked my ID and ticket before giving me one of the halves she'd ripped and smiled at me, wishing me a safe flight. I only smiled back, pretending like I couldn't hear her from the headphones still in my ears. I walked briskly down the weird aisle that led to the plane. Finally, actually being inside of it, I took a right leading to the coach section. I looked around for my seat, row 10 seat J. I crossed my fingers in hopes for an aisle seat.

Row 10 was more in the back of the plane, which took me a while to get to, having to step around people shoving their stuff in the above compartments. I could still hear people chatting around me, babies crying, even though my iPod's volume was at its peak. I sighed, until I finally came to row 10. A wave of relief hit me as seat J stood furthest from the window, or lack thereof. I didn't bother putting my stuff in the box above me.

I took my seat, watching people around me settle in. They all seemed to be rushing, as if the plane was going to take off right this second. I checked the time on my watch- 9:16 AM. We still had 14 minutes until take off.

"'Scuse me, mind if I pass through?" a masculine voice asked me. I looked up to see a middle-aged man, bald on top with glasses smiling at me. He was gesturing to the seat by the window.

"Oh, sure," I said as I slid out of my seat to let him through. He thanked me and I nodded, taking my seat again.

I leaned my head back against the seat, pulling my iPod out of my jean's pocket to switch the song. I scrolled through, until I gave up altogether and pressed shuffle. I didn't bother pressing next, even if the song that came on was starting to get on my nerves.

Speaking of nerves, I think mine were all over the place as I realized that in exactly 3 hours, I'd be landing in good ole sunny California, registering into the school of my dreams. Maybe I was dreaming, it still felt kind of surreal to me. I closed my eyes, all I could do was wait to either wake up or wait for the plane to take off.


	2. Capriccio

I stepped out of the taxi cab that made my dreams a reality. So I guess I really was here, nobody was playing a prank on me after all. I shut the door behind me as the burly driver opened the trunk to pull out my two suitcases and cello case. As rude as he was, he didn't even bother to help me take my stuff inside the massive building. I stood there, taking in the expanse of what stood in front of me as he dropped my stuff roughly out of the trunk, thankfully being more careful with my precious instrument. I scowled at him as he came up to me with his hand held out. I shoved 30 dollars in his hand and turned away from him. He nearly ran back to his cab and took off. I looked around at my stuff, trying to figure out how I'd drag everything in there in one trip.

I picked up my cello first, hoisting it on my shoulder with the strap before picking up a handle on one of my suitcases. My hands were full between trying to steady my cello on my back and holding onto the case. I contemplated pushing the other one in front of me with my legs before someone chuckling close by made me snap my head around.

"Need some help?" a boy asked from a few feet behind me. He had bronze hair, which was disheveled but it stood almost perfectly on top of his head. He was taller than me, not exactly basketball-star status but considerably. His skin was light, almost like the ivory of piano keys. And his eyes, they _smoldered_. If they were on fire, they'd be burning bright green-emerald flames. His face was flawless, and before I caught myself gaping at him, I started stammering.

"Oh, uh… well, I-I…," I started without actually thinking of what to say. But he only laughed again and walked up to me, grabbing the suitcase that sat on the floor and the one in my hand.

"Oh, no it's okay, I can take that one," I said trying to grab the second one from him but he pulled away before I could. He smiled at me and shook his head.

"I think you've got enough precious cargo with you as it is," he said as his beautiful eyes flickered towards my cello. I wanted to blush for my cello at the moment. Instead, I smiled back at him thankfully and he led the way inside.

"Are you new? Wait, no, let me guess. Yes you are," he said. I looked at him, wondering how he knew. I nodded and he laughed, I could tell it was going to be a laugh that would kill me.

"The upperclassmen learn how to juggle their stuff pretty well," he explained. We entered the building, my breath almost caught at how big the inside was. The outside looked vast, but gosh, this was huge! I took everything in, and the boy led the way to an office with a banner hanging above the doorway- "All New Students Please Check-in Here"

We entered the room where a short, stout woman sat behind a desk. Her spectacles sat on the tip of her nose, and she seemed to be looking down at a computer screen. I walked forward to the desk, she finally looked up but the first face she saw was the boy next to me. She smiled widely at him.

"Ah, Edward! What a charming surprise!" she said with genuine enthusiasm, then her eyes finally took me in, her face still kind towards me. She continued, "I see you found a lost one, huh?"

Edward, eh? It suited him, after appraising him; he didn't really seem to fit another name. He couldn't possibly be a Josh or a Max or… well, you get it.

He laughed his killer laugh. "I did, figured I could show her some Colburn hospitality." Well, if all the guys around here were like Edward, I think I've died and gone to heaven.

"What's your name, hon? I can pull up your schedule and dorm assignment for you here," she asked me.

"Bella. Well, Isabella Swan, that's probably what they have for me, anyway," I said almost too quickly. I set my cello down next to me as she clattered on her keyboard, obviously typing my name. I pulled my bag around from my shoulder and fished out the papers I needed. I handed one of them over to her and she took it, looking it over before handing it back to me. I quickly stuffed everything back, swinging the bag back and picking up my cello again. She stood from her seat, walking, or more like waddling, to a desk behind her where she pulled out some papers from the printer. She came back and handed them to me. I smiled lightly as I took them.

"There you are, hon. If you need help finding anything, I'm sure Edward will be happy to help you around, right Edward?" she said the last part towards him. I turned my head to look at him, but I almost caught him looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. He looked back quickly to the lady and smiled grandly.

"Of course, Mrs. Cope. That's what I'm here for," he said. I thanked her and turned to walk out of the office, Edward right behind me. He moved to stand next to me as I looked over the papers I was given. He peered over my shoulder to look at my schedule with me.

"Uh, oh. You have Theory 101 with Von Edinburg. He's pretty tough on new students," he said. Great. Just my luck. I rolled my eyes at my misfortune.

"Any tips?" I asked, hoping there was a way to soften this guy up. Unfortunately, Edward just shrugged at me.

"He plays favorites, so I guess just try really hard?"

"Thanks," I mumbled. He laughed.

"May I?" he asked me, gesturing to my papers. I nodded my head and handed them over to him as he put one of my suitcases down against the closest wall. He shuffled through them to my dorm assignment one. If I hadn't blinked at the moment, I would've fully caught his expression light up as he read the paper.

"Looks like you're in the same dorm building as me," he said. Oh, how I could've melted into the floor at that moment. "Come on, I'll show you up there."

My room was shared by two other girls. It was on the second floor, the "girl's level" as they called it. Edward's room was on the bottom floor. He only had one other roommate, though. It struck me unfair, really. Girls usually needed more space than guys to spread their stuff. Not that I had a lot as it was, but it would've made more sense. Edward caught the confused expression in my face and explained that he only had one roommate because he was studying piano, and a piano took up a lot of room in the dorms. Oh. Well, that did make sense.

We got up to my room, Edward pulled the key off the paper it was taped to and handed it over to me. I unlocked the door and pushed in, setting my cello down by the door to take the cases from Edward's hands. I put them down next to my cello.

"Thanks a lot, that was really nice of you," I said as I turned around in the doorway to face him. He smiled widely at me.

"Don't mention it, I like helping little lost lambs find their way around here," he said as he stuck out his hand towards me. "It was nice to meet you, Bella was it?"

I shook his hand lightly, noticing how soft his hands were. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, Edward, right?" I asked in a mock tone. He smiled and nodded as well, still shaking my hand. After a few moments I let my hand drop.

"Well, I'll see you around, good luck on your first day," he said as he turned around to walk down the hallway.

"Bye," I said, but not loud enough for him to hear. I watched him walk for a few seconds and turned to walk into the dorm.

It was quaint, not all that small really but it gave me enough room. I didn't bring much with me anyway. The best part of the room was that there was a bathroom inside of it, meaning I wouldn't have to walk out and in to the one that would be shared by everyone on the floor. Each bed had a desk next to it and a music stand. It looked like I was the first one here, so I let my stuff stay by the door until one of my roommates came to decide which bed I'd take.

Thankfully I didn't need to wait long, the lock on the door jiggled a little and a short girl with black, wild hair walked in. she had a big black suitcase trailing behind her. She looked up and a big smile spread across her face. She immediately let go of her things and walked straight up to me.

"Hi! You must be one of the other girls in here, my name's Alice," she exclaimed excitedly as she stuck her hand out for me to hake. I took it slowly, giving her an enthused smile at her energy.

"Hi, I'm Bella. Are you new this year, too?" I asked, trying to make conversation. She bobbed her head up and down.

"Yeah, but I'm not in the music program. I'm actually here for the dance classes. They have some of the best teachers at this school, I'm so lucky to have gotten in."

_That makes two of us!_ I thought. I didn't have time to say something back, because a gorgeous blonde was giggling her way into our room. She had someone behind her apparently, but her laughter subsided as she turned and noticed two people in the room already. Her expression almost turned sour as she opened the door a little wider to let in whoever was behind her- a tall, bulky boy who looked a little much like a football star than a performing arts student. The girl's lips were tight and forced a smile at us.

"So you two must be the new ones I'm rooming with, huh?" she asked. Her tone sounded like she was trying to be pleasant, but a hint of pessimism escaped her. I nodded at her, but Alice was a little braver than me.

"Jeez, nice to see you too Rosalie," she said playfully as she smiled at her, "and you too, Emmett." The boy nodded at her and gave her a hearty smile.

"Oh, you two know each other already?" I asked as nicely as I could. Alice nodded at me wildly again.

"Rosalie is Jasper's older sister, and Emmett's her boyfriend. Oh, Jasper's my boyfriend," she explained, taking in my surprised look at the new name, "He's supposed to meet me here soon, you'll meet him eventually."

"Ah," was all I could manage to say. Rosalie looked me up and down, and instantly I felt about an inch tall. She was breath-taking, well, so was Emmett. They looked like they belonged together.

"What's your name, by the way?" She finally asked.

"Huh? Oh- it's Bella," I said. Stupidly.

"Well, you and Alice can decide which beds you want. I'm not going to be here much anyway, I usually stay with my parents since they live so close," she said with a sly grin and a look towards Emmett, he laughed and put his massive arms on her shoulders, moving them up and down her arm. Then she looked sincere in what she was about to say.

"I hope you enjoy it here, Bella, this is honestly one of the best schools around," her voice oozed kindness. It was remarkable how she could go so back and forth between sickened by someone else's presence and truly being kind to them. I'd make a note to ask Alice.

"Yeah, yeah, Rose. Hey, if you see Jasper can you tell him to meet me in the cafeteria?" Alice asked. Rose nodded and both she and Emmett were out the door. I gave Alice a confused look.

"She's different, I tell ya. Don't worry; it's not just you she's like that with. It took her two weeks after Jasper introduced us to soften up to me," Alice explained. I felt a little relieved, but still a little irked.

"So, what classes are you taking?" she changed the subject abruptly.

"Well, there's Theory, Applied Cello, Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble, and Solo Repertoire," I said. I didn't realize my schedule was so full; I'd have my work cut out indefinitely this semester.

"That's cool, is that Ensemble class with all instruments? Jasper plays guitar so he might have that with you," she said.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hey, want to go grab some lunch with me? I'm starved and I don't want to unpack on such an empty stomach," she said, with a hopeful expression. There'd be no way I could deny her, and for the next 4 months, I'd be living with her. I gave her a grand smile and agreed, following her out to the cafeteria.

**A/N: **I wasn't planning on putting this story up until I had three chapters finished, but I'm so excited after typing this up that I just HAD to. So, if I get a decent amount of reviews, I'll put up the third one, otherwise I'll take my time :-P. Let me know what you guys think!


	3. Pastoral

The first week was going rather smoothly, which is a big accomplishment for me. Classes were only held Monday through Thursday, but we had check in sheets to practice for at least 3 hours on the weekends. On the inside, I was really grateful for that, because with the way my classes were going, I'd be needing all the weekday time I had to do the assignments I was given. The only paperwork I would have would be in my Theory class and my Applied Cello class, but even that was enough to keep me working. And as it turned out, Edward was right- Mr. Von Edinburg was almost a total nightmare. I say almost because we only had to see him for only two out of the four days of classes. That class was right away in the morning, at 8:00 AM sharp. He always got there at least ten minutes early so he'd never miss counting a tardy or absence. I was praying so hard in thanks for not being late on my first day.

The assignment he gave us on the first day was fairly simple, just some transposition stuff to "test our knowledge, or lack thereof" as he put it. After two hours of suffering with him, I had an hour long break until my next class. My Applied Cello class was an everyday class, but I didn't seem to mind it at all. My teacher was actually quite a lovely woman, although a bit eccentric.

Tuesday was even better. Chamber Orchestra was refreshing, the basis of the class being a small group of string players. We were given a piece to study and prepare for the recital at the end of the semester. Our group was considerably larger than most chamber group's I've been in and seen. There were seven of us, and the piece we were given was by Vivaldi, "Concerto in D, Op. 3, No. 1" across the top of the sheet I was handed. The piece called for four violins, two violas, one pianist and, remarkably, one cello only.

Challenge number one.

I let out a low breath as I examined the piece; it didn't look too tough, but I would definitely need to sink some time into this.

That was my only class during the day. The second class I had started at six in the evening, and only ran once a week.

I walked from my dorm to the building where my Ensemble class was. It was in the biggest room in the building, and for good reason. I arrived 15 minutes earlier, but already the class was quite full. Literally all the students of Colburn would be in this room. Well, all the musically inclined students at least. I felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness as I went to go find a seat in the appropriate section; my eyes caught hold of a familiar face.

He was perched at the piano, tinkering something although he had no pieces of music in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated, sometimes his hands skirted back from where they were to play the repetition of notes over again. Maybe he was trying to instill them in his mind?

Oh well, Edward was gorgeous.

But just as I thought that last phrase in my mind, he looked up, his eyes meeting mine and burning me. I could've physically winced at that intensity. He smiled his infamous smile, and me, being too late to look away in embarrassment, was forced to smile back to make myself look less insane. That was probably unlikely.

He scooted out from the piano bench, standing up with such grace he could've floated, and turned my way. My breath caught as I realized he really _was_ coming over to me, but sudden disappointment washed over me as I saw a girl run up to him, placing her hand on his to try and stop him.

She was beautiful, not exactly like Rosalie but she was a creature in her own category. Her blonde hair had a reddish tint; her eyes were pure blue and could mesmerize anyone. She wasn't tall and she wasn't short. Her mouth curved up into a perfect smile as she spoke to Edward. He seemed to have a small frown in his voice, but his eyes were fixated on hers. His hand had drawn back quickly as soon as she made contact with him, and a part of me wanted to smile in triumph. If she was showing total interest, he certainly wasn't. Suddenly I felt a large hand come down on my shoulder. I looked up to see Alice's boyfriend, Jasper, smiling down at me with a big guitar case in his hand.

"Hey Bella," he said. Jasper looked quite like his sister, their blonde hair seemed to be the exact same shade and their eyes were the same shape. Other than that, there wasn't anything they had in common, both personality-wise and appearance-wise. Minus the fact that they were related and went to the same school. Jasper was never once cold towards me, in fact I could say that he seemed kind of grateful towards me, probably because me and Alice were getting along so well and he was just happy to see her happy. I smiled back at him warmly.

"Hey, so I guess we _are_ in the same class after all, huh?" I said conversationally. Alice had asked him if he was in the same Ensemble class as me too, but both of us being quite new, neither knew for certain. I felt kind of stupid; almost _everyone_ was in this room now. Jasper took one of the stools situated behind the enormous half circle where all the string players began taking seats and warming up. He pulled out his guitar from the case before setting it down next to him.

"Looks like it, I didn't think the entire school would be in this class too. Guess it's mandatory, then" he said as if reading my thoughts. I nodded my head in agreement before I bent to pick up my cello from its own casing. I realized that this was the first time I'd get to play it in two days, which felt kind of odd. I was used to playing for at least an hour every day, but the excitement and rush of getting settled in totally surprised me and I didn't get a chance from the time I woke up on Sunday morning to ten o'clock at night last night. I pulled the accompanying bow out of its own personal space in the protective shell and tightened the end of it, making the bow hair constrict the wooden part.

I finally drew the bow across the strings, playing open strings to check to see if my cello had been knocked out of tune between Sunday and now. As I went through the normal confliction internally, trying to decide whether each string was flat or sharp and tuned accordingly, I was finally satisfied with what I had 5 minutes later. I noticed Jasper tuning his guitar as well. I turned to sit face front in my seat, waiting for the instructor. When she finally strode in, I was glad to see it was the same teacher from my Applied Cello class. She was beginning to grow on me.

She called the class to a quiet halt, greeting the people she recognized and introducing herself to the new students. I looked around as she spoke, and I noticed almost all the seats were taken. If I had to guess, there were only about 20 or so violins in all, both sections. I counted 6 violas, 4 other cellos besides myself, 3 double basses and only one guitar. On the other side of the room, I noticed Edward sitting at the piano, and only him. As my eyes fell to the back of the class, I noticed more instruments, only not strings. Flutes, clarinets, oboes, English horns, trumpets, tubas, contras (oh my!), and standing in the back were 3 percussionists.

Soon enough, our instructor, or Anne as she preferred us to call her, was finished with her introductions. She kept it simple, saying what instrument she specialized in (cello, of course!), why she liked teaching, and where she was from. I noticed that she didn't talk about her achievements or credentials, something that other teachers just _loved_ blabbering about. My heart swelled with joy.

"Tanya? Can I ask you to hand out music tonight, please?" Anne asked a girl sitting in the flute section. As I turned my head, the girl who had snatched Edward away from talking to me earlier was the one to respond. She smiled curtly at her and stood up, gliding over to the table where a big box full of deep blue folders sat. She grabbed a handful before heading to the violin section, placing a folder on each stand that stood between two people. I watched as she made her way over to the viola section next, then finally to the section I was in. I sat in the third seat in the second row, but thankfully didn't need to share a stand since I had such a big instrument between my legs. Ha ha, I'm so hilarious sometimes.

She finally got to my stand, and her eyes flashed menacingly. If I thought the look Rosalie had given me was evil, this girl was the devil herself. I furrowed my eyebrows at her, and her face contorted into a pained smile at me, then she moved on.

Jeez, what was with these gorgeous girls giving me such horrible looks?

The first half of the class went smoothly, the music held my interest long enough. At 8:30, Anne gave us a fifteen minute break. Most everyone stepped outside and pulled out their cell phones and started jabbering away, some stood around in circles of four or five people and talked amongst themselves. I stayed inside, lucky for me so did Jasper. We made enough conversation comfortably until I heard someone clearing their throat above my head. I whipped around to see the same girl, Tanya, smiling horridly down at me.

"Hi, you're new here aren't you? My name's Tanya," she said, her voice had an icy edge to it.

"Bella," was all I said. I didn't bother to stick my hand out to shake hers like I did with everyone else I met. _She doesn't deserve it,_ my thoughts played in my head.

"Well, _Bella_," she said my name with emphasis, "I just wanted to say congratulations on making it in, I'm sure it took a lot of effort," the ice kept coming from her. My eyes took on a fierce look at what she was implying, but she continued as if she didn't notice, "If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll keep it in mind, thanks," I said as civil as I could muster. This girl was obviously defensive about something, what exactly, I had no idea. My best interest was to keep away from her as much as I could. She gave a small smirk at me before turning on her heel and walking in the other direction. From behind me, I heard Jasper let out a low breath that he seemed to be holding in.

"Is it just me, or are all the females in this school defensive about something?" I asked him jokingly. He laughed, knowing that I was referring to his sister as well.

"Don't sweat it, musicians are always in competition with each other. It's just the way the world turns," he explained. I frowned at his words.

"But that's stupid, it's not like we even play the same thing. I don't feel threatened by anyone here… does that make me less of a musician?" I asked after realizing what my words meant. Fortunately, Jasper just shook his head.

"No, Bella, it just means that you're that much better of a musician," he said, the warm smile returning to his face. All of a sudden, I could see why Alice was so in love with him. I smiled back contagiously as Anne called for the class to begin again.

Ensemble didn't end until 9:30 at night. I was exhausted when we were done, and I quickly got back to my room where Alice was laying on her bed, belly-side down, with the nightlight on. She was reading something and was dressed in her pajamas already. I called out a small "hey" to not startle her as I walked in. She twisted her head and smiled back at me, waving.

"How was class?" she asked.

"It was fine, turns out I do have it with Jasper," I said as I saw her face light up at the mention of him. I wondered if there was a way we could bring in this little pixie to dance for us as we played…

"That's so cool! Anyone else you know in the class?"

I half-nodded half-shrugged. "Kinda, sorta. I saw Emmett, and this guy Edward I met when I first got here," then the memory of the foul stench that had tugged him away from me crept back. My frown returned to my face.

"Was he mean to you or something?" Alice asked, noticing the look on my face. I pulled myself away from my memory and shook my head.

"No, not at all. He's really sweet, but this girl came up to me during our break and… well, just something about her told me she wasn't fond of me. I don't think I'm too fond of her, either," I said. Alice had a confused look on her face but I just waved my hand as if to dismiss the conversation. "Don't worry about it, I probably won't see her or talk to her again," but even when I said them out loud, my words didn't seem to convince even me.

"She's probably just jealous that you play way better than she ever will," Alice added in trying to make the situation better for me. I smiled at her attempt.

"Yeah right. Anyway, I'm gonna go wash up and change, I'm so tired," I moved off her bed to head into the bathroom. I grabbed my cotton shorts and tank top that I usually slept in, changed into them quickly and brushed my teeth. When I walked back into the room, Alice had turned out the lamp on her desk and crawled into her bed. The light from outside spilled in from the window and Alice looked quite peaceful. I slid into my own bed; my head couldn't resist the tempting pillow.

"Alice?" I called out before I could fully knock out. I heard a soft "hmm?" come from the other side of the room. "Goodnight," I said softly.

In reply, I got a mumble that sounded a little like "goodnight" so I smiled and turned over, letting the night take me over.


	4. Portamento

**A/N: **Wow, I'm on a roll tonight. I just finished the third chapter of "Deliverance in Sin" and then I automatically went back to Word to type out chapter four of this! So here it is, enjoy. And as always- review! I love what you guys have to say, you guys make me blush furiously like Bella. ;)

**PS:** I do have the piece mentioned for their solo performance, I'll try and sneak it into the author's note of the next chapter for you guys to download. It truly is a beautiful piece, it made so much sense to me in the dynamic of the relationship I was thinking of between Bella & Edward... but I'll explain later. Read on!

* * *

Wednesday was turning out to be my most and least favorite day of the week.

Not only did I have to wake up at eight AM to face the demon that is Von Edinburg, but I had the most classes today. Theory, Applied, and Solo Repertoire. In truth, I was really excited to see what solo piece I'd be playing for the end of the year recital. By now, my instructors had a pretty clear idea of how well I played, so all I could do now was cross my fingers in hopes it would be a piece that wasn't too easy.

My jaw could've knocked the tiles out of the floor when I walked into my teacher's office and saw Edward sitting at the piano.

Much like the night before, he sat and looked gorgeous hovering over the keys. From where I was standing, I could see the nerves tensing and relaxing in his hands as each finger seemed to be blessing the piano. I drove myself (unwillingly, I admit) out of my awe of him and cleared my throat. At that, he looked up, his eyes flickering to my face and a smile crossed his features. I smiled back, still lingering in the doorway in case I stumbled into the wrong room.

"Mozart?" I asked with a nod towards the piano. He chuckled lightly, seeming surprised that I recognized the piece so easily.

"He's my favorite, to be honest," he admitted. I scowled playfully at him.

"No way, if you're in the Classical era you can't beat Luchesi," I protested. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"How can you deny the greatness that is Mozart? He was brilliant," he argued. I scoffed at him.

"More like overrated. Everyone plays Mozart, but I'd rather appraise the unsung hero," I quipped with a smile. He had nothing left to say, so he laughed instead. In my head, I was doing a victory dance.

"So what brings you here today?" he asked.

"Well, I have my Solo class here, right now I think. It's weird that I'm actually on time and the teacher isn't. What about you?"

"Well, Anne asked me to come in, she wanted to ask me something," he said as his eyebrows came together to make him look confused. I pondered it for a minute. Why would she ask him to come in? He plays piano, and plus this was _my_ class time she'd be cutting into. Not that I minded, he could stay and she could ask him all the questions she wanted…

The room fell quiet. But lucky enough, Anne swept in not even a minute later, throwing apologies left and right to the both of us and complaining about a certain student that just had to stay behind in class to ask her a million questions. I stifled a laugh as she went on, and as I glanced at Edward I noticed he had to press his lips tightly to keep from laughing as well.

When she was done ranting, she finally turned to the both of us. I had taken a few steps further into her office, a few feet away from where Edward sat and about a yard away from her. She smiled at the both of us before she began explaining.

"The reason why I called you in, Edward, was to ask you for a favor. Well, it's not so much a favor now as it will be your grade now," she said with a laugh, then turned to talk directly to me, "Now, Bella, I've been listening in on your lessons and I must say, you play with such passion and beauty, it left me and a couple other people on the faculty breathless."

My face was furiously red at her compliment and I could feel Edward appraising me with his eyes. I tried to smile but I ended up looking like a dope.

"So as I was trying to find you a piece, I was tossing everything aside. Nothing was good enough for you! Then I remembered that I had a piece somewhere kept safe for those "special moments" if you know what I mean. Anyway, I pulled it out, looked it over and was simply amazed by how perfect it'll be for you. The only problem is that it requires a more advanced piano accompany, which I couldn't find for you at this time. That's where you come in, Edward," she looked over at him. He still looked a bit confused, and I was too, mostly by what she had meant by it would be his grade.

"I already talked to your teachers about it and they're okay with it. They said that if you played the accompany part, they can omit how well you did on it for your own solo repertoire. So that way, you both don't have to be up there by yourselves. And don't worry about how well the other plays; I assured the staff that it would be solely on individual performances."

My heart fluttered right out of my chest. I was going to play my solo with Edward._ I was going to play my solo with Edward._

The concept was both exciting and frightening at the same time. I was going to be up on stage with a gorgeous piano player, but I was going to be so nervous I'd definitely mess up and embarrass him.

_No! What are you thinking? You're going to be positively spectacular because you're going to have the best accompanist on that stage with you._

I couldn't let the negative flood into my head, I just couldn't. Because it was too late, Edward had already agreed to it, stating that it was the best idea ever. Anne swelled with enthusiasm.

"Fabulous! I have the piece somewhere around here; I'll find it and you guys can look it over. I'm assuming that practicing arrangements will be dealt between the two of you?" she asked the both of us, but looked directly at me. My voice seemed to be caught in my throat.

"Y-yeah, we can work it out, sure," I managed, smiling weakly. She had bent down to fumble something from her cabinet. After a few seconds of searching she stood with two different papers in her hand and gave us each the according one.

I read the title, "Elégie in c minor- Adagio" by Gabriel Faure.

I'd heard this piece before. I was pretty sure it was in my iPod, but I never bothered to listen to it much. All I knew was that Anne was right- the piano part would be just as difficult as the cello part.

"Looks like we've got a lot of work to do," Edwards smooth voice broke me out of the trance the piece had put me in. I was reading each note, playing it on the cello in my head, imagining the sound that would come. I looked up at him; for some reason the smile had never left his face.

"No doubt, looks like my weekends just bumped up to 4 hours of practice now." We both thanked Anne and walked out of her office. I was still taking in the piece and reading it in my mind; I didn't even notice Edward was walking adjacent with me.

"When are you available?" he asked me. My head snapped up to look at him in astonishment. Was he really asking me this…?

"To practice, I mean," he clarified. Oh. Nice one, Bella. Idiot.

"Oh, well, I guess my Wednesday's just cleared up by an hour since I don't have to rehearse with Anne anymore. Is that okay with you?"

He thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can."

"Good," I said with a smile. We both rounded the corner and went to exit the building when an all too familiar voice hit my ears.

"Hey, Edward! Wait up!" came Tanya's voice. I cringed on the inside, trying to get away as fast as I could, but Edward was looking at me as I backed away, and I didn't want to seem rude and just take off like that. Tanya finally caught up to us, her eyes all lit up while she looked at Edward, then as they darted to me, the ferocious part of her that nobody else saw broke out.

"Oh. Hi, Bella," she said disinterested. I tried to stand away from them as much as I possibly could, in case she decided to attack him with her lips or something. Wow, I really burned at the thought of that.

Edward, on the other hand, seemed bored of her presence. "Did you need something, Tanya?" he asked, evidently trying to be as polite as his patience would let him. Score one for Bella.

"I just wanted to see if you were going to the Fall Bash this Friday? I'm not really up to it this year and I wanted to see if you were planning on doing something else, maybe we could merge plans or something…" she trailed, her forefinger found its way to his arm that was crossed against his chest and was lightly gliding across the skin. I wanted to beat her with a bat. He seemed unnerved by her though, and I wanted to both smile smugly at her and drop to the floor in amazement. Was he really not into this girl? She was beautiful, albeit she had the worst attitude, but still. I thought guys were only into looks, anyway?

"Actually, I _was_ planning on going. They do need someone to clear out the hall by the time everyone falls asleep," he said. My curiosity was struck- what was this Fall Bash and why hadn't I been informed of it already? Was I too consumed in my work to pay attention to social events? Wait, did they even _have_ social events here?

Tanya's face turned into a smirk. "Are you taking a _newbie_?" she said, her eyes darting to me for a second. Edward stood defensively in front of me, as if she was going to leap and tear my face off. I wouldn't put it past her really. His arms tightened across his chest.

"So what if I wanted to?" he asked defensively. Almost at once, her face fell, hurt and annoyance struck her features. Boy, she could turn literally ugly when she was mad. I knew he was only saying that to prove a point to her, but my stomach still dropped ever so slightly at the thought. What _if_ he really wanted to?

She finally managed to wipe the sneer off her face before giving him a completely (fake) sweet look. "Well, then I hope you have a great time," and with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Of course, without giving me the look of death first.

Edward simply watched her walk away, not phased at all of what happened. He finally turned back to me, a shy smile tugged on his lips.

"Sorry about that, she's been a real pain lately," he apologized. I waved my hand as if to just let it blow over. Truthfully, I wish it did.

"She seems… pleasant," I lied and he laughed. _I made him laugh._

No! Shut up! Stop thinking stuff like that!

"So what is this 'Fall Bash' if I may ask?" I said as he still laughed. He composed himself enough before answering.

"Well, it's just a little party the upperclassmen like to throw on the Friday of the first week back. Usually the new students aren't allowed in but over the years, there's been a little rule breakage, so now they just justified it as new students can only come if they've been invited by a person in an upper class," a small smile played on his lips, "I almost forgot that it's my first year going."

"Well, sounds like buckets of fun," I said with as much excitement as I could. Frankly, I was let down. It sounded kind of interesting; too bad I wouldn't be in attendance. He sensed my fake enthusiasm and laughed again.

"You can be my invitee; I wasn't planning on going with someone. You won't have to worry about me hanging around you and making you look bad," he said jokingly. I plummeted to the ground. _Him_ make _me_ look bad? Was he joking? Had he not looked in the mirror? Did he _really_ just invite me?!

"You don't have to waste an invite on me, I don't even know any upperclassmen besides you and Miss Ferocious." He shook his head.

"I want to though, you're really the only freshman who seems interesting enough." I didn't notice that we had started walking again, apparently heading back to our dorms. All of a sudden we were in front of his room, his face anxious as he waited for me to say something still. As much as I was ecstatic about being invited, I didn't exactly want to be sitting alone the entire time. I looked up at him, trying my best to keep composed.

"I'll think about it," I said, at which he gave a mock pout. I let out a sigh and threw a hand to my hip. "I don't want to be all alone at some upperclassmen event!" I explained quickly.

"Then come find me there," he said with a casual shrug. Inside I wanted to scream out "yes, yes, yes!" but I knew that I'd look like a lost puppy around him.

"I'll think about it," I repeated with more authority in my voice. He couldn't do anything but nod.

"See you later then?" he asked. It was my turn to nod. He bid me goodbye and I made my way to climb up the stairs to my own room, my head swarming with a billion thoughts and my stomach wanting to rip out of my body.

_Wait till Alice hears about this_, I thought as I grimaced and opened the door to our room.


	5. Resonance

"_You_ got invited to the Fall Bash??" Alice's voice almost screeched at me. I grimaced at her. Clearly she wasn't fazed that I had been invited by Edward more than the fact that I got invited period. "There's _hardly_ any new kids that actually get to go, this is like going to prom when you're still in middle school!"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I don't think it's that big of a deal, I mean he asked me so casually," I tried to boil her enthusiasm down. But the way her eyes were shining at me made it clear that she was only that much more envious. I looked down at my nails and started picking at them, trying to seem disinterested. Alice's praise of the Fall Bash just seemed to make my nerves knot up inside of me.

"Can I pick out an outfit for you, then?" she asked earnestly. I looked up to see her almost combust from excitement. I sighed in defeat.

"Calm down, Alice, I didn't even say if I was going to go or not. If I do, I'm going to be a loser all by myself." Alice just shook her head.

"You can always go hang around your piano stud the whole night, he _did_ invite you, you know," she said with a sly smile. I glared at her for a second.

"No way, how bad would it make him look if he had me following him around the entire night. That'd be just perfect, I can just imagine-," but the door swinging open cut me off.

Rosalie walked in, a grand smile on her face making her look ten times more beautiful, if possible. Emmett wasn't following behind her today, usually he would stand out in the doorway when she came in for a couple minutes to grab some clothes of hers and then they were off again.

"Hey, guys," she said as she set her bag down on her desk and flopped on her bed. Alice said a light "hey" back and I smiled and waved. It was odd for her to be here with us, even though she did technically share one-third of the room. I always figured she liked being at home or with Emmett more than being stuck in a dorm with us. But she looked relax, and definitely not upset about anything at the moment. I definitely needed to take advantage of her good mood today.

"What're you two up to today?" she asked.

Alice didn't even skip a beat. "Bella got asked to the Fall Bash," she said as if the words were just waiting to gush out. Rosalie turned to look at me, neither malice in her expression nor impressed. She looked… indifferent.

"You did?" she asked me and I did my half-shrug half-nod. She let it sit in her mind for a second. "Huh, who'd have thought…?"

"I don't know if I'm going though, I wouldn't know anyone there," I said in recovery. She furrowed her eyebrows at me.

"Why not? It's fun. You'll get to meet the upperclassmen. And I suppose you're going to need to be the spy for the rest of the new students," she said. She leaned back on her bed, resting on her elbows but her gaze never left my face.

"I don't know, that's not exactly my type of thing. Alice said I should just go tag along behind Edward the entire time but-"

"Whoa, whoa. Edward _Cullen_? _He_ invited you?" she asked, surprise clearly in her voice. I could've sworn I saw her eyes widen a bit too. Alice and Rosalie seem to get excited over the same things.

"Yeah, why?" I asked slowly. I was hoping she wouldn't get mad at him for inviting me, if she was then I definitely wasn't going.

She shrugged. "Just wondering. Edward doesn't seem like the kind who goes to these types of events," she said as if nothing had happened.

What?

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to hiding the real curiosity in my voice.

"Well, last year I had a class with Edward. Every time someone would talk to him, he wouldn't say anything past 3 words if he could help it. He's always been a kind of recluse to me. Except one time, he seemed to be really friendly towards Emmett. He reminds me of one of those 'starving artists' if you know what I mean, just trying to give off the impression of a brooding, dark soul. The only thing that got to me was when he met that girl Tanya, he got super close to her. They probably had a thing going on but nobody could tell for sure. She was the only person he'd ever paid attention to truly."

Edward? A recluse? Brooding? Those were words I'd never think of to describe him. He'd been plenty friendly to me the first day, and what about the old lady at the desk? She seemed to like him plenty. And ugh, _Tanya_. I should've known they'd had a thing. _Had_. Have? No, no definitely not. He would've gone with her to the Fall Bash if they still _have_ something. No, this was definitely past tense. It seemed a little weird to me, that if he had paid attention to her so much, why did he look like she was the last person he wanted to see?

I shifted in my seat, still boggled by everything Rosalie had just told me until she jerked me out of my thoughts.

"If you don't wanna go alone, then I'll invite Alice to go with you. Emmett can invite Jasper. No point in wasting invitations, right?" I saw Alice lit up instantly after the mention of her name. She shot up from her seat so fast and knocked Rosalie over with a hug so fast, I didn't even notice her move. Alice gave her a big squeeze, followed by a rendition of constant "thank you's!" Rosalie tried to tug her away for air but ended up having to shove her off.

"Don't mention it next time, seriously. I think I'm going to need an inhaler after that," she said as she got up and headed towards our bathroom.

All Alice could do was squeal in my ear.

Thursday rolled away in a blur. To be honest, I was so glad the day went by fast; I felt exhausted from my first week from everything I'd been through. _And it's only my first week, _I thought grudgingly. My only classes being Chamber and Applied, I didn't have to wake up so early. I rolled out of bed on my own free will, and with only three and a half hours of class time in total, I was free for the rest of the day.

I had run into Edward, literally. But definitely not on purpose. I was rounding the corner he was approaching and the train wreck happened. I was apologizing profusely, almost forgetting Rosalie's little tale yesterday until he asked me if I had made up my mind about going or not. I told him I still didn't have a definite answer, which was a lie really, because since Alice was going now it meant I was 100 to be counted in attendance. I dodged any further questions about it by saying I was late in meeting Alice for lunch and that I had to be on my way. So I reluctantly strode past him and headed towards the cafeteria.

Our dormitory curfew was at 10:00 PM sharp. If anyone asked me, I'd say it was a silly rule to have a curfew. Almost everyone was a legal adult now. We were capable of handling ourselves. Even though I was still 17. The good thing about curfew was that you were only in trouble if you ever got caught, which was highly unlikely because there were no monitors to keep track of who came and went. It was almost as if the school wanted us to break the rules.

You could imagine how easy it would be for a group of young adults to cause such extreme havoc with bendable rules.

Friday was blissful, well at least until 8 PM came around. I had gotten in about an hour and a half worth of practicing. I had picked up the solo piece too, only to find out that it was an extremely beautiful work of art. It made me nervous, like I didn't deserve to be playing it. I didn't want to practice much on it without the piano part, so I only tinkled around with it for ten minutes.

Rosalie had informed me and Alice that they probably would start heading out around eleven at night, even though they started setting up and arriving mostly around 10:30. Alice and I both agreed to make the trek to the lounge hall around 11:30, just to be safe. Or as Alice called it, "fashionably late." I called it "trying to hide my face as much as I can."

It took Alice 3 hours to get both her and me ready. She lent me one of her tops, which surprised me because I could've sworn I was at least two sizes bigger than her. It was simple, just a spaghetti strap that didn't hang all _that_ low, but still enough for me to keep lifting it up every now and then. It was striped blue and purple, Alice said the colors complimented me very nicely. I wore simple jeans, and I took my white stitched sweater. I guess I'd lived in Forks for so long, I didn't know what being without cloth on my shoulders felt like. Alice decided to touch up my wavy hair as well, thankfully not doing anything too extravagant to it.

"I swear, you are in the wrong school," I said to her as she put the fat pads of her hand against my forehead as she sprayed hairspray on my hair, careful not to get it in my eyes.

"Nah, I don't think I could ever go without dancing. My mom said I was dancing before I was walking. Imagine me trying to do someone's hair and performing The Nutcracker around them!" she said with a laugh that caught me as well. She gave my hair a couple bounces before letting me go.

By the time 11:25 came rolling around, I was nearly in convulsions from the anxiety. I don't know why I was so nervous; I must have been anticipating getting caught or something. But that was stupid, it was highly unlikely. As I crept out of the room with Alice by my side, locking the door, I glanced in all angles to see if anyone else was out. The only person I could see was a girl dressed in a sapphire blue dress, trying to run as best as her heels would let her, giggling the entire time. I felt Alice nudge me as we went downstairs to meet Jasper.

Alice led me to his door, no not his door, it was Edward's door! I panicked as she rapped her knuckles in the same sequence they had agreed on earlier (as a precaution to know it was really Alice and not a teacher or anything). I tugged on her arm away from the door, horror written all over my face.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her, "That's Edward's room!" She looked confused at me.

"No it's not, it's Jaspers!" she said at a normal voice level. My eyes widened as the doorknob turned. My breath was stuck in my throat.

It was not Edward who emerged, it was Jasper. A bit of me wanted to die of relief, the other part remained confused. Jasper embraced Alice, his hand intertwining with hers as he threw me a quick smile in greeting. My mouth opened to ask, but I didn't get anything out because Edward had stepped out of the same room. His eyes caught mine and took in my expression and it slid onto his, too.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked me. I cleared out the cobwebs that had collected in my mouth before closing it.

"Nothing, nothing. You know Jasper?" I asked tentatively. He looked at me as if I were crazy before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, Jasper's my roommate, didn't you know?" he said as if I had been missing something the entire time. Guess I was.

"Oh," I said quietly. Everyone was looking at me. Looking at me like I had lost my mind. I think my cheeks turned red.

Alice cleared her throat. "So, shall we?" she asked as she took a step forward to the side door exit. I followed behind her like a lost sheep. Edward was walking along with me, but I didn't dare open my mouth to say anything in case I sounded like an idiot again. Instead, I enjoyed the comfortable silence between us as Alice and Jasper walked hand-in-hand a few feet in front of us.

The Fall Bash was held in the lounge room, which was the second biggest room on campus, the first being the room where the Ensemble class had been held on Tuesday night. This room was by far the most interesting to be in, though. There were wooden tables all around, accompanied by matching wooden chairs. They were all situated circle-esque, in the middle stood one of those portable fireplaces encased by a large black metal shield to keep the ash and fire crackles away. A long metal cylinder erupted from the center of the fireplace to keep the smoke out of the room; it ventilated it straight to the roof. It was the most wondrous thing to look at.

When we walked in after being stealthy ninja-like idiots, the room was almost completely transformed. The tables had disappeared, and so had the chairs. Replacing them were long wooden benches. The walls were decorated with streamers, paper letterings with phrases like "WE 3 U COLBURN" and "VIVA LA MUSICA." A long table stood adjacent to one of the walls, piled high with all sorts of food and drinks. There was considerably loud music playing from the speakers that hung in the corners of the walls, and it would switch from some pop song, to classical, and occasionally R&B. From my side, I could see Alice take in a sharp breath in amazement.

Alice grabbed me by the hand, extremely ready to mingle and make new friends. It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated; a lot of people had actually come up to me and introduced themselves. I recognized most everyone who had been in class Tuesday night, the rest must have been drama and dance majors. A few girls were actually quite nice; I think their names were Angela and Jessica? I couldn't hear them all too well with everyone talking and laughing and the music that seemed to have gotten louder.

After about two hours of meeting new people, I needed to sit. I had to shout in Alice's ear that I was going to leave her side, giving me a slight pout but nodded her head. I took a seat on one of the benches, my soda still in my hand, throwing one of my legs over the other. The fireplace was mesmerizing. I was entranced by it for a few minutes before I heard a familiar velvet voice by my side.

"So do you regret coming yet?" Edward asked me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I only came for Alice, she said it was only fair," I lied. He smiled, probably seeing through my lie. "It's not that bad," I added with a shrug. That was an understatement. I was beginning to really enjoy myself.

"Well, I'm glad you came anyway. Did you get a chance to look over your solo yet?" he asked with a change of subject.

"I did, but it's not just my solo, you know," I pointed out.

"Well, it can't be _our_ solo; 'solo' is defined as one main melody line and an accompanying harmony." In a way, he was right. This piece was going to be a lot of work for him too.

"What do you suggest we call it then, '_the_ solo'?" I teased.

"Technically, it would be a duet." He said with a lopsided smile. My stomach seemed to be turning over and over inside me.

"Our duet?" I said, using his term. Then the dizzy feeling inside me churned again. I said "_our_". That made me want to die, and from the look on Edwards face, he seemed quite pleased with the word.

"Yes, our duet," he repeated. My gaze dropped down to the ground in utter embarrassment. I tried to busy myself with looking at something in the opposite direction.

"So what did you think of your first week at Colburn?" he asked me after a few moments of silence. I turned my head back, but still didn't dare to look at his face.

"Way more than I expected, to be honest. But in a good way."

He looked at me with deep, sudden interest.

"How so?"

I hesitated answering his question for a moment. "Well, I've been applying to Colburn for the last three years. I didn't exactly have my hopes up when they accepted me this time. Someone upstairs is showing some serious love."

His face turned incredulous, as if I had said something completely stupid. It made my cheeks turn pink. God, I hated when they did that.

"Three years? _Three years_?? How old are you, Bella?"

"Seventeen," I said with a shrug.

"Oh. But, still. How did they _not_ accept you? You're way better than the other cellists here," he said as if it was a fact. My face grew warmer, not just because of the compliment but because _he_ said it. He'd heard me play, evidently when I was in my Applied class or when I was rehearsing because there's no way he'd have heard me on Tuesday night. He'd never be able to distinct me from the others.

"Sure, sure," was all I could say. I heard him chuckle next to me.

"You doubt yourself, Bella, but you'll find out you're a lot better than you give yourself credit for. You just need to stop holding back."

I wasn't holding back! I was planning on giving everything I could into our… _duet_. A tingle went through me as I thought the word. I wasn't going to blow this for him, especially since we'd be in front of so many people.

"What about you, then? What's your story?" I asked bravely. Desperately in need of a subject change. He suddenly stopped laughing softly. I was worried I'd hit a nerve, but his tone was still light and friendly.

"It's been a dream of mine to come to Colburn; I applied as soon as I got out of high school. Lucky for me though, I didn't have to wait three years," he teased. I glared mockingly at him.

"I've been playing the piano since I was three. They didn't offer it at my high school, so I was stuck on private lessons for the longest years of my life. It was so refreshing when I came here. I just feel so at ease and at peace when I get to sit down and just let everything out. All my frustrations, my happiness, my sadness sometimes," he looked like he was completely serene here, and I looked at him in complete awe. I'd never met anyone who was so passionate about anything, much less dedicated to an instrument like he was. All this time, I thought I was enamored by music; here was this god who made me feel like I shouldn't be allowed near my cello again. I was instantly aware that it was more pressure to perfect our piece.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away. I do that sometimes," he said apologetically. I smiled assuringly at him. My eyes locked with his for a brief moment, the stupid smile on my face never leaving.

"Bella! Jasper and I are heading back to the dorm now, are you coming?" Alice said right into my ear. I didn't even see her coming towards me, let alone notice that she was still here. For that brief second, all that I could think of was Edward's way of describing music to him. I jumped, turning my head quickly to look at her. She might have noticed the slightly annoyed look I had.

"Um, yeah, just give me a second though," I said as I turned back to Edward. He smiled down at me.

"I should be getting back too, I have lots of practicing to do tomorrow… or well, today," he said as he looked down at his watch. I groaned internally. It was pretty late, and no doubt I'd have a lot of practicing to do tomorrow too. I stood, stretching as I did. Edward got up too, and the pack of us made the stealthy, sly walk back to the dorms.

As soon as Alice and I left the two boys at their room, we gunned it to our own, still worried we might get caught. Alice was the last to get in, and she leaned against the door shut behind her. We were a little out of breath from running up the stairs. I fell onto my back on my bed, flipping my lamp on. Alice slid down to the floor, still slumped against the door. She was giving me a look, the one that screamed "Oh my god, what happened tonight??" but I just groaned at her and rolled over in my bed.

Suddenly I was deeply tired. I looked at the clock- 2:19 in the morning. Great.

"It's late, so I'm just going to ask you for details tomorrow," Alice said, grabbing her pajamas and heading into the bathroom. Fabulous.

"There's nothing to tell," I called out to her, loud enough for her to hear me.

"Sure, there isn't. And don't think I'll forget about it either, Bella!" she called back, but I didn't care. My eyelids finally seemed to be heaving down with the weight of sleep. Within 2 minutes, I was left to my dreams. Dreams of ivory piano keys playing silently, but beautifully.

* * *

**A/N: **I want to thank everyone who's reading, alerting, favoriting, and especially reviewing this story! Your praises seriously make me want to just type everyone out in one big, fat chapter! Much love guys, I hope you're still liking the story so far, I'm trying my best to keep it away from typical all-human Twilight stories!

As always, be kind, review :)


	6. Sonatina

**A/N:** Wow, over 1000 hits on this story alone and I only started it like 4 or 5 days ago! I love you guys, seriously! This chapter took me a while to write because I wanted it perfect. Keep reviewing and enjoy!

And I know I said I'd try to upload the piece, but I found it on youtube instead. Just go and search for it there, but be sure it's only a pianist and a cellist. The whole orchestra effect won't be as good :)

* * *

I couldn't remember much about my dream that night, other than I was jerked awake by Alice throwing a pillow at me. I shot up in my bed, my heart pounding a mile a minute from being frightened to death. Alice lay in her bed, laughing at my reaction. I gave her the evilest look I could muster for it being…9:30 in the morning? I groaned as I looked at the clock, throwing the pillow back at her before letting my head fall down to my own. I pulled the covers over my head.

"Don't you dare fall back asleep, you talk so much more than you do when you're awake," Alice said warningly. I pulled the covers down enough to peek through and give her a glare again.

"What?" I asked, my voice groggier than I expected. She giggled.

"You talk in your sleep. God, I thought you'd never shut up about 'Oh, Edward, you play so _beautifully_,'" she said, saying the last part in a mock shrill voice. She rolled her eyes playfully at me and my ears burned.

"I don't talk in my sleep!" I almost yelled in defense. I knew I did, though, my dad had told me all too often he used to think there were ghosts in the house before finding out it was just me in the middle of the night. I know I dreamed about pianos, but Edward hadn't been anywhere _near_ my dream last night. At least, not that I'd recall…

"Yes you do, which reminds me," she said, an evil glint reflecting in her eyes. I groaned at her, I knew exactly what was coming. It'd been the one thing I was completely dreading before I fell asleep, and I knew no matter how much of a poker face I could put on, Alice would never believe that nothing had happened, which was the truth. Nothing _had_ happened, so what was there to tell? I shook my head at her.

"Nothing happened last night, I told you. We were only talking," I said.

"Yeah, I know that part. What were you guys talking about? And didn't you notice everyone staring at the two of you? Like they were expecting the two of you to just start making out right there!" she exclaimed.

What? People were staring at us? I didn't catch anyone's gaze last night, well, aside from Edward's… multiple times. But still, I never got the feeling of prying eyes on us, never once saw someone glace our way. But then again, I hadn't looked at much besides him. It might have been me who wasn't looking back. Had Edward noticed it last night? If he did, why did he seem to be so careless about it? Then suddenly I remembered Rosalie's story… and how he hadn't paid attention to anyone but Tanya last year. Was it strange for everyone to see Edward talking to someone else? And why did they even _care_? Whose business is it who he talks to?

"Bella!" Alice yelled at me. I snapped my face up to hers.

"Huh?" I said, still consumed by my thoughts burning questions.

"I asked what you two were talking about," she said in a calmer tone.

"Nothing, I swear. He told me about his life and I told him about mine," I figured it wasn't lying to Alice if I just made the story more condensed. But she was still looking at me with a wary eye, but decided to give up.

"Well, for being the hot commodity of last night's events, that sure sounds boring." I nodded.

"Really boring. Anyway, what are you doing today?" I asked, so desperate for a change of subject.

"Well, I was planning on going to the studio to practice for a bit, but I think Jasper was planning something for the two of us instead. He won't tell me what though," she said, a small frown appearing on her face. Alice definitely wasn't one for surprises. "What about you?"

I stood up from my bed, stretching on the way up. "I was planning on heading to the study room to do my homework, and then maybe get in some practice time." Alice grimaced.

"You live such an exciting life," she said blatantly. I laughed.

"That's me," I said as I headed for the shower.

* * *

The thing about music is that no matter how much you think you know it all, there is always something else to learn. It's an ongoing process that not even the best of the best can master. Music is a theory, not like math or science where the answer is either right or wrong. Music has no simplicity to it, no formulas that you follow. Music is never absolute, and the can be changed by any given obstacle.

With that realization as I sat in the quiet study room, I was going to hate Theory forever.

I was stuck on more transcriptions; apparently Von Edinburg wasn't content with the ones we turned in during the week that he had assigned more. This time he had assigned us a piece to transpose between treble and tenor. Tenor being a clef I hadn't studied just yet. And I was regretting it now.

I sat by myself at a table for four. Around me were a few scattered people here and there, all in all probably around 8 people. The study hall was adjacent to the library, which was considerably big. It was mostly stocked with out of date theory books, past volumes of new ones, assorted music books going from choir to piano music, and even music literature. On a few shelves in the back, there were novels, of course, involving music, but there were a few classics here and there. I had made a mental note to come back and check some stuff out, for spare reading.

My table shook underneath me, I hadn't realized I was staring off into space and when I looked down, a stack of books were piled in front of me. I looked up to see who the perpetrator of disturbing me was, and I could feel the color from my face drain away.

Looking down on me, with her hands gripping the edge of the table was none other than Tanya. Her face was turned into that horribly evil smile of hers, her eyes were glinting maliciously.

"Mind if I have a seat?" she asked with an icy tone. I hated how she made me feel afraid. Why should I? I hadn't done anything to her. In an attempt to not seem defeated, I gestured for her to sit.

She pulled out the seat across from me, lowering herself down and flipping open the book on top of the pile. She pulled out a few sheets of paper, followed by some staff paper, then her eyes dropped down to her work. Mine did the same, not wanting to stare at her. I tried pretending she wasn't sitting across from me, but it was impossible to not notice her. It stayed that was for a very long, painful while. I didn't want to break the silence; anything was better than hearing whatever she had to say to me.

I nearly jumped when she spoke up finally.

"Did you like the Fall Bash?" she asked, trying to seem casual. I saw completely through her question to her real one, did I like being around Edward. I was very close to putting a smug look on my face and answering yes.

"It was okay, I guess," I tried to sound as indifferent as I could. She lifted her gaze at me, her face still looking down.

"Just okay?" she mocked. My eyes fell back down to my work. I didn't answer her.

"Did you meet anyone new?"

I nodded.

"Did you have fun with Edward?" she asked, pure venom seeping from her. Getting around to the subject is not one of her strong points.

"I did, actually," I said bravely. It took every ounce of courage to keep still in my seat and not run for it. She was glaring at me so intently I could feel the hole burning into my head.

"Yeah, that's Edward for you, always taking pity on the poor pathetic ones," she said in her triumphant tone. That was it. That was what I was waiting for from her. I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed to get it out and get her as far away from me as possible. The pencil in my hand dropped and my face hardened as I looked up at her.

"Look, Tanya, I don't know what your problem is, or what it is that makes you so threatened by me, but you need to get one thing straight; I don't care about what you and Edward have or don't have any more, we're working on a piece together. That's as far as it goes between us," my own words hit me a little too harder than I expected. But it was all true, what did she have to worry about with Edward? It wasn't my fault he didn't want to speak to her anymore, and he'd talked to me first, anyway.

A smirk crossed her face, as if she'd just gotten the reaction she wanted. I huffed at her.

"Glad I could make myself clear," she said as she started to gather up her stuff. I knew I should've been glad she was leaving, but I couldn't help but close my eyes, weary with defeat. I had given her exactly what she wanted, clarification that I wasn't interested in Edward in that way. And I wasn't, I think. Yeah he made me nervous and gave me the whole butterfly effect in my gut, but after last night's events, I found myself feeling nowhere up to his standards. There's no way someone with that much passion inside of them could even _think_ to like someone like me, well, in that way.

What was I thinking? This is just my first week here, and already I've found myself knee-deep in petty drama that belonged back in high school. This is ridiculous; I came here to study, to focus on my future, not getting into a cat fight with some girl over a guy. No, from here on out, my foot is down. My intentions are purely for my studies now. Edward is not going to be in my mind as much as he has been already, it was too much.

I opened up my eyes, thankful that Tanya had cleared out already. My work lay in front of me, and I gave a heavy sigh and returned to transposing note after note into a clef I couldn't for the life of me understand anymore.

* * *

Life at Colburn was easy to fall into, not predictable but it was comfortable. I was deeply enjoying my classes, well, most of them anyway. I wasn't going to let Tanya bother me, I had my goals set and that was my pure intention. But something inside me was still anticipating Wednesday.

We had agreed to meet in one of the bigger practice rooms in our dorm. I arrived first, and just as I had started to take my cello out of its case did a knock on the door and a tick of the lock of the knob tell me he was here.

He poked his head in and smiled widely, and I couldn't help but do the same. He came in, strode over to the piano that was against the wall and placed his music in front of him. I had everything out and ready now.

"So, any thoughts before we start?" he asked me casually, striking the A for me while I finely tuned my instrument. I shook my head, not breaking concentration as each string was raised or lowered to perfection. Only then when I stopped bowing did I look up to meet his gaze over the black stand that was in front of me. Behind the stand, the piano was situated so that all he had to do was turn his head and he'd be looking directly at me. I didn't realize this when I had came in. He looked at me expectantly, and after memorizing the first few notes, I gave him a cue.

His fingers gently pressed down on the keys, I let the music envelope me until my part came in. A measure of eighth notes. My mind was imagining my part of quarter notes blending in nicely. But when I put my bow on the strings to pull and make the gorgeous sound I was envisioning, it came out weak, feeble. It was more of a scratch than a graceful note.

I almost dropped the bow in embarrassment.

Edward stopped when I did, a confused look on his face and I wanted to cover my face in shame. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Sorry," I muttered, "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

He frowned slightly at me. My nerves were all over the place already, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

"That's okay, we'll start again?" he asked me cautiously. I nodded, giving him the cue again.

The familiar warm sound of the piano filled me, and at the same time, I was gaining courage to play. I took in a small breath just as I was about to pull the bow again, and this time the sound that came out of my instrument was a bigger improvement.

Until I got a little past the first line of music, then my finger slid on the board and made a very blue note. I stopped instantly, embarrassed yet again. My face must surely be beet red now. I looked up to see Edward's reaction as I heard his piano fade out. He gave me the confused look again.

"Why'd you stop? You were doing great," he said.

"Sorry, it… it didn't sound right to me," I mumbled.

"Sounded fine to me, here let me see your part," he got up from his seat and hovered over my shoulder to peer down and look over my part. It probably looked like the easiest thing to him, and at the thought my face flushed yet again.

"Hmm, I think you're trying to speed it up. Adagio's painfully slow, so you have to count each beat no matter what," he said, still in thought. "Try playing it without my part."

I froze, not wanting to consent to his suggestion but knowing I'd have to. With a shaky hand, I got into position, then after getting the tempo down in my mind, pulled against the strings one more time.

I was determined to not mess up, and thankfully, I didn't. Not technically, but it wasn't as best as I could've made it sound. I let the piece overtake me, adding in a vibrato to every long note. I couldn't tell, but I might have started swaying a little bit. It was a habit, and my dad always said I looked like I was deeply in love with what I was doing when I did.

I repeated the notes in my mind, memorized the rhythm. I was letting myself go now, and all that mattered was me and this music. Nothing else felt like it existed, like Tanya didn't exist, and Alice didn't exist and Edward…

Oh, shoot! I abruptly stopped, now aware of how deep I got into the music with Edward still hovering by my ear. I had only gotten about 3 lines down, thankfully. My face flushed even more, but Edward just stayed silent. I didn't have the guts to look at him after making myself look like an idiot, swaying and getting so caught up like that.

Then, I became hyperaware of just how close his face was to mine. My heart sped up so fast I thought it was going to stop right then and there.

After a moment, Edward regained his composure and stood up but didn't move back to his piano.

"I think I know what your problem is," he said finally. I stiffened my back, ready for him to point out what an embarrassment I was and how he's going to drop out of Colburn instead of being up there on stage with me.

"You slouch when you play."

Huh??

I whipped my head around so fast to look at him, I was positive I'd be paying for it in pain later.

"I _slouch_?" I repeated. He nodded matter-of-factly.

"I do not slouch," I said defensively, it being the only thing I could think of to say. I didn't know if I really did or didn't because for all I knew, my back could be completely bent out of shape.

"You do, you lean forward and from the looks of it, you're putting pressure on the cello," he explained. I managed to glare at him.

"I don't know much about cellos, but it looked like if yours could scream, it would lose its voice. Why don't you try straightening out your back like this," he said as his hand came down between the space of my back and the back of the chair. I could feel his big, warm hands pushing on the upper half of my back, before sliding down to the small and evened it out to match the upper. My whole body could've gone into shock from his innocent touch.

"Now, see when you hold your bow, you look loose, like you're about to just let it fall, so hold it up like this on the strings…" he moved his free hand to hover over mine that held my cello's bow, grasping it lightly and curving my fingers under his to match the proper shape, to look more acute and I had to admit, I had a better grip on my bow now. I shivered under his touch, even though his hands weren't cold. I had to purse my lips together to not let out a gasp.

"There, see? Now I bet you can play better than Jacqueline Du Pre, herself," he said, letting his hands linger for a while on both of their spots on me. If it was even possible, I blushed even more at his compliment.

"I thought you said you didn't know much about cellos? Now you're comparing me to world-renown cellists?" I asked playfully, trying to calm myself.

I laughed at my joke, but his voice had a serious buzz to it. "You'll see one day, Bella. You'll see."

He finally went back to the piano, and thankfully the rest of our lesson went smoothly.


	7. Consonance

**A/N:** My apologies for not updating this over the weekend! I had a long two days, ideas for the story were forming but I didn't have anywhere to jot them down. Anyway, I made this chapter super long for you guys, to tide you over until tomorrow. And to everyone leaving me fabulous reviews, I love you all! Keep them coming, and enjoy reading :) This chapter's pretty intense!

* * *

As I was slowly, but surely, falling into place here at Colburn, I noticed one thing about myself that was changing- I felt more secure in music. After Edward and I's first rehearsal together, I played more confidently, not because his advice, if you would call it that, made me play better, but because for once, I felt like I was obliged to play better. For him. No, for _us_. I had to keep reminding myself that. I had a majority of the responsibility, no matter what Anne had said.

Four weeks had flown by and I didn't even have time to blink. I was walking back to my room after Theory, thankful I hadn't screamed of boredom and frustration mixed into one jumbled emotion in the middle of class, when I bumped into Jasper. I seemed to be running into people a lot lately, and not just as a metaphor. People would have to refer to me as "that brown-haired, klutzy girl" and I couldn't really argue that. I did have a knack for easy body damage.

"Jeez, Bella. When are you going to come with a warning sign when you're around the corner?" he asked in a mock annoyed tone, rubbing his arm. I gave him a sarcastic "ha-ha."

"Where are you going right now?" he asked with a change of subject. I noticed he had his guitar slung around his shoulder. Evidently, he had just gotten out of class as well.

"Just back to the room, Alice and I have a lunch date today," I replied. His face had a hurt expression.

"Oh… well she told me that she was going to meet me for lunch today too," he said slowly.

"Hmm, maybe I'm confused and she meant yesterday instead of today, either way it's okay. You two go out, I see her every night as it is anyway," I tried to resolve. Maybe I really had thought today was tomorrow and am slowly losing my mind?

"No, no, no. Tell you what, why don't you and Alice grab some stuff for us and we can all have lunch together. I'll let Edward know too, so you don't feel like a third wheel," he said with a sly grin. Internally, I groaned. Alice and Jasper weren't exactly what you'd call "public display of affection," but if you could fathom the way they look at each other, it's intense enough to make your cheeks pink and leave the room.

But something else he had mentioned drew my attention. I hadn't exactly been around Edward outside of classes since the Fall Bash. Tuesday nights, we hadn't even acknowledged each other outside of smiles in greeting, and Wednesday's rehearsal was so professionally handled, quite a different setting than our first rehearsal had been. I would never admit it out loud, but it left me a little too disappointed.

"Sure, where are we meeting?" I asked, trying not to let the eagerness of seeing Edward on an acquaintance level seep through my tone. It didn't work; Jasper gave me his sly grin again for a split second.

"How about mine and Edward's room? So you two don't have to climb back up the stairs with all that food with you, you know," he suggested.

"Err, umm… okay. Sure, why not. Edward won't oppose?" I asked tentatively.

He shook his head. "Nah, he won't."

I gave a nervous, forced laugh. "Of course not, I mean, half of the room is his, and he's entitled to eat wherever he wants, and stuff…" Good God, I was babbling. Jasper looked at me like I had a straight jacket wrapped around me.

"Yeah… sure, Bella, whatever you say," he said as he started walking away. Great. I made myself look like I drool all over Edward. Now Jasper would probably go off and tell Alice, and Alice will never let me live it down, and she'll bug me for the rest of my life, and she'll set up marriage arrangements for us while he gets a restraining order against me…

As I let my thoughts get carried away, I started again towards my room, shaking my head at just how ridiculous I was being. Jasper wouldn't tell Alice, would he? And why did it matter anyway? Edward's a friend, that's it. I suppose it's normal for friends to be excited to see other friends. Yes, completely rational for my heart-rate to speed up about ten notches just thinking about seeing Edward.

I was definitely digging myself into a deep, deep hole.

* * *

I had purposely made myself carry the extra bag, leaving me with two in each hand and Alice only one. I figured if I had two bags in my hands, I wouldn't knock on the door like Alice was right now, meaning if Edward answered the door then he'd see Alice, and then me. Then I wouldn't be so flustered. I figured I should save up some nerves in case Alice and Jasper decided to run away into a closet together, although it would be quite uncharacteristic of them. Still, I wasn't taking any chances.

Instead of a turn of a lock and a gorgeous face peeking out through the door, the only response Alice got from knocking was a deep voice yelling from inside, "It's open!" Okay, so maybe I was being anxious over nothing.

Alice swung the door open, a motion casual for her since she'd been so used to coming and going through their room easily. She probably didn't even need to knock; she probably only did it for my sake. A slight sadness washed over me as I realized I was purposely making this awkward. Not only for myself, but for Alice, Jasper and Edward too. It wasn't fair, even to me, to let this silly giddiness get in the way, why couldn't I just let myself have fun with friends? What was so hard about that?

_Okay, as soon as I step over the threshold, I'm going to let this go and be myself._

I walked in behind Alice, trying to act as casual as I could. It wasn't hard, surprisingly, and it certainly lifted quite a bit of weight off my shoulders.

Indeed, their room was a little bit bigger as I had expected. It made mine feel incredibly tiny to live in with two other people. On one wall, an upright piano stood, elegant and glossy. The wood it was carved from was lined perfectly. On the front of it, right above the keys which were hidden away by the cover, was "Steinway & Sons" written in gold. I could have snorted right then and there; it was quite unsurprising how a _Steinway_ would be in this room. It figures.

Before I could take in the rest of their room, Jasper's voice broke me out of my daze at the piano.

"It's about time; I thought I was going to starve before you two got here."

"Sorry, the line was a little long. Where's Edward?" Alice spoke as she looked around, Edward really wasn't here. I let out a low breath.

"Oh, he said he needed to do something, didn't really explain. He said he'd be back in 15 minutes and he's been gone," he stopped to look at the watch he didn't have on, "14 and a half minutes."

Alice laughed and Jasper was absolutely beaming. The awkward "we're making out in front of you by just staring lovingly at each other" thing that they do that makes me feel like I'm walking in on them happened again, and I had to turn away to pretend to be preoccupied with trying to find somewhere to put the bags down.

"So what did you two bring?" Jasper asked when they finished.

"Sandwiches," Alice said brightly. Jasper made a scowl.

"What _kind_? You always get those weird kind of deli meats and they make me gag," he teased. Alice hit him lightly on his arm with the back of her hand.

"I planned ahead this time, so we got all kinds so that you can pick whatever you want."

This time, Jasper looked at me with an expression of incredulous shock.

"And you enabled this to happen?"

"Hey, when Alice has her heart set on something, you can fight with your last breath in your grave and she'll still be stubborn," I said with a shrug. I expected Alice to make an angry face at me, instead she looked like she was proud of being hardheaded. I rolled my eyes at her defiance.

"Quite true, guess you know her better than I do now, Bella," Jasper said with a laugh.

"You'd be surprised what you'd learn when you live with someone for four weeks," I said.

The doorknob behind us turned, and my eyes looked up to see Edward walking in. He seemed miffed, his mouth turned down in a slight frown and his forehead creased a little. He was looking down when he came in, and not until he had closed the door behind him did he look up to see Alice and me. His face instantly lit up, a wide smile reaching across his flawless face. I had to admit, he looked very much more handsome when he smiled than frowned. A little notepad in my head wrote down that I should never make him upset.

"Hey, you guys didn't start without me did you?" he asked in a playful tone.

"Nope, we just got here, Jasper hasn't out-eaten us yet," Alice quipped. Edward and Jasper both laughed so contagiously that I had to, too.

It wasn't that hard to be unawkward around Edward, in fact, I was starting to find solace in being in good company. Lucky for us, we didn't have any classes for the rest of the day so none of us were in a rush to finish our meal. I felt like I was a 30 year old sitting around having a glass of wine with old friends. The only difference is in that vision, I picture four people sitting around on a porch in the late afternoon, here we were sitting on the floor, the plastic bags laid open and wrappers lying all around us. So maybe we had gotten a little messy…

"So have you two been working on your composition together?" Alice asked as the laughter from the previous topic of conversation died down. This was news, Edward was writing a piece? And with Jasper? Apparently I had underestimated his talents before.

"It's almost done, we've got the guitar part finished, we just have to wait for Edward to finish the piano part," Jasper said.

"I want to hear it," Alice stated. Edward and Jasper were both quick to shake their heads.

"You've already heard it a dozen times when I play it. And besides, the finished product is a surprise." Alice pouted.

"But Bella hasn't heard it, I'm sure she's interested." I gave her a look that was meant to be threatening, but in truth, I was intrigued. I wanted to get inside Edward's head, and what better way than to see what his own music sounds like. But both boys gave me a look, a pleading look.

"Do you really want to hear it Bella?" Edward asked. Oh, what the hell, why not?

"Sure I do, now that you mentioned it," I said, giving them the best convincing smile I could. They both glared at me.

"Come on, you know how I love dancing to it," Alice begged. Oh, this would be fun. Jasper and Edward were going to play a song and I'd get to see Alice dance.

They both grumbled, standing up wobbly. Jasper grabbed his guitar from behind his bed, unlocking the case and pulling it out. Edward sat down on the bench in front of the piano. I could hear Alice giggle excitedly.

I leaned back, putting my weight on my hand and waited while Jasper finely tuned his guitar and Edward tinkered around on the piano. Even if he was tapping keys mindlessly, it was still a pretty sound.

Jasper finally looked up to nod at Edward. He acknowledged Jasper's signal and started playing. The sound was slow at first, almost a sad tempo. Actually, it was sad. So sad, that I could even feel my insides flopping over as if something tragic had happened in my life. I could see the same reaction in Alice too; her head fell, her face hidden behind her hair. Jasper's guitar cut into the piano's music with a few equally sad chords. My heart couldn't take it; I wanted to tell him to play something happier. Almost as if they read my mind, the tempo slowed down even further, before swelling into something more upbeat. My spirits were instantly lifted.

Alice stood up, which caught me a little off guard. I'd never seen Alice dance before, so I didn't know what I was expecting but I knew that she was graceful. When she walked, she carried herself beautifully. She was lithe and she floated. I was deeply envious. But what was unexpected about Alice dancing was that it wasn't anything that would require a counting routine. She wasn't dancing tap, modern, ballet, jazz, nada. She was slinking her shoulders back and forth to the steady beat, provided by Edward's piano's chords. It was infectious, I almost wanted to get up and dance too. But I would look like a stiff board compared to Alice, the sultry and slinky gypsy in front of me.

The piano and guitar meshed together to a drawn out crescendo, at the same time slowly, but surely, increasing the speed. Every note struck my bone structure, and if I closed my eyes I'd be lost. I wondered if this is what doing drugs felt like- the ultimate high. Alice danced and danced, shaking her hips, twirling and holding onto her skirt and flaring it out like a flamenco dancer. I was getting dizzy watching her, so I opted to look at the two magic makers providing the sensational music. Edward was hunched over the keys in the way he gets into playing, Jasper's eyes were closed and his face was intense as he kept strumming. I wanted to feel what they were feeling as the music erupted from their fingers.

Suddenly, they both stopped playing. It was like being jerked awake from a good dream, and I let the disappointment wash over my face. Edward and Jasper both looked at each other and laughed, Alice was gasping for air. I couldn't blame her, I'd have an asthma attack if I'd spun around that much, and I don't even have asthma.

"Man, I thought it was amazing with just the guitar, holy cow. That is seriously some piece of work," Alice said in-between breaths. Both boys looked pleased.

"What about you, Bella, what does o mighty cellist have to say?" Edward asked me. I almost felt like teasing back, but what I had just felt was too mesmerizing to be hidden from them.

"Well, it takes a lot for me to want to get up and dance like Alice did. That was…," I paused trying to think of the right term, "beyond ecstatically amazing."

All three of them laughed at my choice of terms.

"Maybe next time you could bring your cello, we'll have a jam session," Jasper said. I rolled my eyes.

"No way, how does a cello fit in with a guitar and piano?"

"It doesn't matter, an instrument is an instrument. All that matters is how you feel when you're playing. That's what makes real music." Jasper's words struck me hard; I did feel something when I played. I lose myself in even the simplest pieces to play. I smiled sheepishly at him.

"I think I'm going to go back to the room and grab my books and study some," Alice said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Are you staying here or coming with, Jasper?"

Jasper's guitar almost flew out of his hands as he stood up and put it back in its case.

"Sure, of course. I have some stuff to study, too." He grabbed his black backpack from under his bed. I looked at the both of them bewildered but they didn't seem to notice what was on my mind. They both said bye, Alice adding in a "see you later tonight" to me and I said goodbye in more of a question. Edward swiveled in his seat to me.

"Do you have stuff to study, too?" I asked him, wondering if he wanted me to leave. To my surprise he shook his head.

"Nope, we were let off easy in Theory today. Von Edinburg giving you a tough time yet?"

"He's been giving me tough since I stepped into that classroom." Edward laughed.

"I told you." A small silence fell between us. Not awkward, just one of hesitance.

"Why are you still sitting on the floor?" He asked.

"Because there's nowhere else to sit," I lied. He rolled his eyes at me, then patted the seat next to him and gave me a "duh" look. I hesitated for a second, then got up and walked to the bench, plopping myself down. He laughed softly, his mouth shaped into a perfect crescent. His hands were over the keys of the piano again, then they started playing something softly, almost inaudible. It was entrancing, it wasn't upbeat as his and Jasper's composition had gotten. It was slow, slow enough to lull me into a sleep, or make me want to dance around on my tiptoes. I let my eyes fall closed, my head swaying from side to side. It was a sweet song; I wanted to reach forward and strike the right keys and play the song myself. I had to resist that urge. Then just as the music had started out, it died out soft and quiet, so minutely that I didn't realize I still had a dreamy look on my face with my eyes closed for 15 seconds after Edward finished.

My face flushed badly, his eyes were looking at me with deep interest. I bit my lip, not daring to speak out of embarrassment. I turned my head away.

"You always do that, even when you play," he said softly.

"Yeah… I get carried away in the music sometimes." My voice was extremely soft. I wondered if he had even heard me.

"It's relieving to see someone who enjoys music because it actually touches them, deep down inside."

"I think it could get to anyone, it just affects different people differently. You do it too, you know. You get this serious look on your face, like you're molding the statue of David. You look like it's the most fragile thing you've ever held, and you're desperate not to break it…" Damn it, why did I always do the babbling and trailing off thing? As if my face could get any more red, I blushed once again.

"Really? Is that how you see it?" he asked with utmost curiosity.

"See what?" I asked stupidly.

"Music, or well, the effect of it."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think music is the most beautiful gift ever. Music isn't even real, sometimes. I mean, yeah there are instruments but physically, there is no _actual_ music, and that's a wonder all on its own. It's exciting and that's what draws me in. Nobody could ever define music completely and… why are you looking at me like that??" Edward's eyes grew wider with every word that I said, making me feel like I was a lunatic. A smile stretched back onto his face.

"No reason," he said simply.

"No reason?"

"No."

I beaded my eyes at him, making him laugh.

"You're something else, Bella Swan," he said. My heart leapt across 30 beats in .001 seconds.

"Whatever you say, Edward."

"So what type of musical effect do you like most? Let's say, favorite scenario?" he asked me. I didn't want to tell him, this conversation had gotten embarrassing enough as it was. But the look he gave me prodded me and I knew I couldn't weasel out of this one.

"It's me, lying in a field with long stalks of grass. Or wheat, or something else that's tall, whatever. It's green all around, and the air smells like sweet violets. The sun's a nice red-orange color, but a breeze falls through making the warmness that much sweeter. It's turning to sunset, and the sky's a deep purple off in the distance, fading to lighter and lighter as you look up higher. Where the sun will set, there are a couple of visible stars, but they don't shine too bright, it's still light outside."

My eyes had closed again, and I quickly jumped back to reality as the image I had imagined ripped away. My eyes flew open; Edward had a serene look on his face. My heart started stammering again and I noticed just how close we'd gotten, I was practically leaning on him. His arm brushed against mine. I hated to break the moment, but a wave of emotions came over me- euphoria, queasiness, fright. I let out a deep sigh and tried my best to smile at him. I looked away, my hands brushing lightly over the keys of the piano, pressing down ever so lightly on a white one.

The sound seemed to have broken Edward out of his phase of serenity as he looked down at my hands as the small sound hit his ears. He smiled lopsidedly.

"Did you ever learn how to play the piano?" he asked me as if all that I had just said never happened. I shook my head.

"Never was a big fan of piano, really. Well, not until now," I felt him smiling wider. "I was a fan of strings."

"Piano's have strings," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but they don't have a bow. Where's the fun in that?"

"It's plenty fun. I'll show you," he said as he scooted even closer to me, leaning over a bit to take my left hand in his left, my right in his right. The sudden shock traveled down through my spine, and each of his fingers rested on top of mine.

"This," he said as he pushed my index finger down on a key, "is middle C. C is always the first white key in a two group," he explained carefully. I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

"What?"

He sighed exasperatedly. He pushed my finger down again. "See, two black keys here are grouped together, three black keys are grouped here together. C is the first white key next to a two group."

"Okay, what else?"

"This is your first octave on the treble line," he said as he pushed each finger down on a white key. We played a scale up and down.

"What do you mean 'on the treble line?' I have to read treble too? Argh!" I tried to sound upset about it, but he laughed. Of course, everything he told me was pointless, but I was trying to play along as best as I could. I already knew how to play simple songs like Jingle Bells and Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano.

"How can you not read treble? It's so… vital."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Why don't you teach me a song so we can call this lesson quits for today?" He looked at me for a second longer than usual, like he was sizing me up. The closeness between his warm body and mine was almost unbearable.

"Alright, what would you like to learn?" he asked finally.

"Umm… how about your part of the Faure piece? Just in case," I couldn't really think of anything else I'd want to play on the piano.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "What if the night before the recital you trip and fall and break both of your wrists so then I have to play both parts at the same time?" I joked. He gave me a look that clearly said he was weirded out.

"Alright, fine. Teach me that lullaby-like one you just played," I said after realizing he wasn't going to teach me his part. Why he won't though, I didn't understand. He smiled instantly at my next choice. He took my hands under his again, I hadn't even noticed he had let go, and started out softly again. I felt a swell in me; my hands were actually playing now! The sweet, intoxicating music was coming from me, as well as Edward. I let my eyes drift closed yet again, not caring about what Edward thought anymore. I painted visions of a garden, the sun low, the exact picture I had described for Edward. I tried to see if it would piece together- the visual and the music. They blended together beautifully.

Maybe it was just me, but Edward's deep, even breathing was quite close to my ear now. If I concentrated enough, I was sure I could hear his heartbeat. His hands were closing tighter around mine, that was certain. The moment was too intimate, too close for me to handle, but I couldn't tear away. It was sensational.

Suddenly, the music was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. We both jumped in opposite directions away from each other. I blushed deep violet, and Edward only cleared his throat and stood up to answer the door. Whoever it was on the other side was getting impatient and knocked yet again, but it didn't surprise me when I saw Tanya when Edward opened the door.

Instantly, a devious smile crept up on her face, but as soon as her eyes landed on me on the piano bench, she turned evil again and looked back at Edward. Her face instantly softened up, and I knew she was planning something in her mind.

"Hey Edward, you busy?" she asked innocently. I could see the frustration in Edward's face.

"A little bit, did you want something?" his voice full of impatience.

"Just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out, you know, for old time's sake," she added in the last part with emphasis. The effect of her words left me feeling irate. I noticed her eyes flashed to me briefly when she spoke. But I kept myself calm, remembering the music that had filled me just a few seconds ago. I wouldn't let her pull me out of my happy place.

"I can't, not now," he said. I was glad he was choosing to stay away from her.

"When then?" God, she's too persistent. Edward gave her a hard look.

"I don't know, I'll let you know," he said as he started closing the door on her. But she pushed back against it. She took a step closer to him, speaking to him in a voice that I could barely hear.

"You can't brush me off like this, Edward. Sooner or later, you'll realize you miss me. Then maybe you won't hang around… _newbies_… like you are now," she put a nasty emphasis on the word, nodding her head towards me a little. I was burning, I was burning so badly I felt the sting of tears welling into my eyes. But I wouldn't let her see it. I wasn't upset, I was just fuming. I often cried when I got mad, it was something out of my control. My face hardened, I wanted to say something back but this wasn't my battle. This was between her and Edward and as much as I would have loved to defend him to the death, I had to hold my tongue.

"Bye, Tanya," Edward said with thick stiffness in his voice. He shut the door in her face now; she didn't try to push back this time. Edward leaned back against the door, lifting his head and letting out a low breath. I felt suddenly awkward, like I should leave and let him to his own thoughts. I was about to stand up when he finally looked at me.

"I'm so sorry," he said with complete sincerity. My insides melted.

"What for? You don't have to apologize, she thinks I'm out to get what's hers and-"

"'Get what's hers?'" he asked surprised.

I instantly shut up and looked away from him. He let out another sigh.

"Bella, nothing ever happened between me and Tanya," he said. I bit my lip, unsure if I should tell him what Rosalie had told me about him before. I hadn't really thought about it, actually, because what I saw of Edward was completely different than the Edward she had described. Maybe a little time away from school had changed him? Maybe Rosalie had just lied to scare me away?

"That's… not what I've heard, exactly," I said slowly. He looked at me like it was what he expected to hear.

"I should've known. I guess it's my fault, you should've heard it from me rather than everyone else."

I shook my head in defense. "You're not obligated to explain anything if you want to, I didn't believe it much anyway. I mean, it was only one person who told me but, still. It just sounded odd to hear."

He looked at me amused. "What did you hear, exactly?"

"That you were the brooding musician, of course. And that the only person you hung out with was Tanya," the name left a nasty taste in my mouth, "but honestly, it didn't bother me. It seemed so unlikely." He smiled at me, warmly.

"That's good. But still, I feel bad for letting her do that to you, it's completely not fair. I feel like you should know anyway," he said, was he really wanting to tell me what was between him and Tanya?

"Tell you what, how about we just ignore what happened today and we can talk about it another time," I offered. It was making me a little bit sick to think that there was a chance that Edward might tell me how he was in love with Tanya and that he still had feelings for her, but he wanted to spare mine and he acted like she didn't exist around me. The thought made me dizzy, and a lump formed in my throat.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked me off topic.

"Sleeping as far as I know," I joked. He laughed.

"There's a place I want to take you to tonight, if you want. Around 8 PM?" he asked quietly and cautiously. The lump in my throat released down into the pit of my stomach and broke open, letting out a cocoon of butterflies explode inside.

"Um, sure. Sounds good. Casual or formal?" I asked. He gave me an amazing smile.

"Casual, of course."

I smiled back at him, standing up from the bench. I hadn't realized I had been sitting there for so long because it felt good to extend my legs. I walked to the door, standing a few feet in front of him. He was still leaning against the door. He twisted the knob with his hand, pulling it open for me. I walked out to the hallway, but turning back to him. His arms were folded across his chest now.

"So, eight o' clock then?" I asked. He nodded.

"Sharp," he pointed out. I smiled, trying to control my excitement.

"See you then," I said, walking away from his room to my own. I caught the time on the closest clock on the wall; it was currently 4:25. I had exactly three hours and thirty-five minutes to get ready.


	8. Nocturne

**A/N: **I have 65 watchers on this, which to me is quite amazing! Thanks guys, I hope I'm not disappointing you! Hope you like this chapter, there's a tiny bit of fluff hidden away if you concentrate and look really hard! ;) Read on, REVIEW! and as always, enjoy!

* * *

"Where's Jasper?" I asked Alice as I walked into our room. She was sitting by herself at her desk, elbow-deep in papers. She looked like she was in deep concentration.

"Oh, he left a few minutes ago. His work was easy, so he said he'd come by later when I'm done. He doesn't like distracting me when I'm trying to work," she said with a weak half-smile. "What about you? Where'd you go?"

"I stayed with Edward for a bit," and as I said it, her eyes widened in surprise.

"You did? I thought you would've left too, I didn't know! Oh man, what happened?" she asked excitedly.

"Nothing _happened_, Alice. We sat around and he played a little bit more. Then Tanya came by his room…" I stopped because the sinking feeling came over me again.

"What?? Why did she do that?? Is she still all in love with him?" her voice raised an octave and she was full of anger.

"Yeah, looks like it. I don't even know how to explain it, really. He was teaching me piano and then she started knocking obnoxiously. She wanted to hang out with him but he told her no, and when she looked at me she started saying he'd miss her and all this other stuff. He wants to explain it to me tonight but I told him he doesn't have to."

"Whoa, whoa what? You're going to see Edward tonight too? You two didn't get enough alone time or something?" she teased. I was getting really tired of all her questions.

"Shut up, it's not like that. I don't know, he was really persistent to tell me what is going on, even though I protested. Maybe he thinks if he talks about it out loud with someone, it'll get off his chest."

"If he wanted to just get it off his chest, he would've told you right then and there. He wouldn't have asked to see you tonight, which obviously means he's planning a date tonight," she finished, sounding proud of herself like she just won a board game.

"It's not a date. It's casual," I said in protest. To me, a date isn't a date unless you have to wear a dress.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Bella. What time are you meeting him?"

"Eight o' clock."

"Good, that gives me enough time to pick out an outfit for you and do something with your hair," she said as if it would have been completely obvious to me that she was planning on dressing me tonight. I gaped at her.

"I'm not going over the top! He said casual so I'm sticking to casual. I'm not going in anything fancy, Alice. I mean it!" But all Alice did was give me a sly smile.

* * *

I glanced at the clock. It was 7:56, and Alice was still tugging on my hair with a brush and curler. I didn't see the point, my hair was already wavy! Why do I need to have it curly? Alice promised she wouldn't make it look like I was donning a Curly-Sue look, but I still felt this was completely unnecessary.

"Remind me again why I let you do this to me?" I said as I looked down at myself. Alice had barely hit the maximum I would allow her to go; she dressed me in one of her white, flowy skirts, me cursing under my breath that we were almost the same size. She dug out one of my nicer blue tops, the straps thin with a hint of purple stitching. I had to admit, it was one of the better shirts I owned, but I never wore it much because I didn't want it to wear out. I suppose I could make an exception tonight. The only thing I didn't let Alice dress me in were shoes, but I promised her I wouldn't wear my "god-awful tennis shoes" as she put it. I opted for a pair of white sandals instead.

"Because I want you to come home as happy as you can ever imagine," she said with a laugh. "That is, if you come home."

I gave her a look of death in the mirror.

"Relax, you know I'm kidding!"

I looked at the clock again with a sigh, 7:59. Was he serious when he said sharp? Hopefully not, and I could buy some time to calm and collect myself. As Alice curled the last bit of my hair, I took a look in the mirror. Surprisingly, she hadn't really curled it, more like accentuated the waves in my hair. I didn't look all that bad. Of course, I still felt overdressed. What if he thought I was taking this the wrong way? I refused to let the word "date" fall into my head.

Too late, the doorbell rang. I looked up at the clock, and of course the second hand was just now ticking past the 12, signifying eight o'clock in all its glory. Alice gave me a beaming look and ran to open the door. I cringed, squeezing my eyes shut tight and hoping this was all a dream and I'd wake up soon. Alice's eager voice greeting Edward told me it wasn't.

I stood up from the chair in the bathroom, turning off the light as I walked out for my… "date." Edward turned to look at me when I came into view, but I was the one who was left breathless.

Edward usually dressed in regular button –up shirts and jeans, and he pulled it off very well. But tonight, something about him made him look so much more desirable. He wore a black shirt, the first two buttons left unbuttoned. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, and the lean muscles in his lower arms were showing quite a bit. His hair was just as wild as it had been from earlier. His ensemble looked terribly average, but something about it gave off a flare of sparks.

I tried to smile at him as best as I could, and I could tell he did as well. Before I started feeling awkward, I hurried him towards the door, also an attempt to dodge anything Alice might have to say.

"I'll see you later, Alice," I said as I closed the door. I could hear her call a "bye!" back but only muffled by the door. Edward gave me a funny look.

"She likes to make up stories in her head," I explained.

"Oh? What kind of stories?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"You don't want to know. So where are we going?"

He smiled smugly to himself. "You'll see. It might be a little hard to walk for you, though, since you're wearing sandals," he pointed out. I reminded myself to curse Alice when I got back.

"What, are we hiking or something?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, we're not. I want it to be a surprise. You'll have to wait."

He led me down the stairs and out of our building. The night was cool, the breeze gentle. It made my skin tingle, but not shiver. A few steps out, he stopped short with me right behind him so I jolted to a half before I could run into his back. He turned around to look at me, almost as if he was unsure if I wanted to still go with him or not. I tried my best to give him another reassuring smile. His face relaxed as he mimicked my smile.

I didn't notice him slip his hand into mine, a motion that was done quite smoothly. The electricity that coursed through me was different this time; when he held my hands under his I felt warm, now that my palm was touching his, I felt a searing jolt, almost like someone lit a firework in my spine. He gave me his lopsided smile, then started tugging me on to his destination.

It wasn't that long of a walk, maybe half an hour away from our campus home. We made small chat; he was clearly saving the big conversation for when we got to wherever it is that we were going. The road looked different at night than it did during the day, more serene. LA was starting to resemble Forks to me, minus the green everywhere. Instead, there was a spectrum of colors patched everywhere. Maybe it only started to look like Forks because I was calling this place my home now.

Edward and I approached a park, a few yards in front of us a path went winding deeper into what looked like a trail that was surrounded by trees. In fact, it didn't even look like a park, it looked like a forest. One that was just around the corner from my house in Forks, too. I mused at it. Another tug on my arm told me that Edward had taken the path. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Edward, that's a park and it's kind of late. Don't you think it's a little unsafe?" I asked, trying to hide the fright in my voice. One thing I learned about living in Forks is that you never, ever walk into a closed off area at night. Forks' crime rate wasn't high or anything, but there's always a chance of getting attacked by a wild animal. Here though, the crime rate was through the roof but no wild animals. Calculating the math in my head, I'd say walking into that park right now is 200 more dangerous.

Edward looked like he wanted to laugh at me, which made me blush slightly. I was extremely thankful it was dark outside so he couldn't see.

"I promise I'll protect you," he said as he gave me another tug. He was stronger than me, so there wasn't much argument there.

We walked silently through the winding trail, entering the hidden part of the park. It was illuminated by hanging sidewalk lamps, but they were only dimly lit. The trees were lush, everyone was dark but I could tell it was green. Not like the green back in Forks which I was desperate to get away from, but almost as if this place was a secret, even imaginary. The air had a lingering scent of moisture, salty even. There must be a lake around here, too. We walked a little further in before he abruptly turned from the trail onto the grassy area on the left. He pushed a few tree branches out of the way for me, but I still had to duck to avoid getting leaves and pine needles in my hair. I looked down the entire time, making sure there weren't any roots sticking up from the ground that would cause me to trip and fall. That was certainly the last thing I needed.

When he finally stopped pulling me along, I saw the light of the moon falling upon the grass that was in front of us. I looked up and saw more moonlight reflecting. The expanse in front of us was wide, and further down I could see a small body of water, glistening under the light. My breath caught in my throat at the sight. I took a few steps forward, Edward watching me cautiously from behind. Unease seemed to be etched on his face when I turned back to look at him.

"It's not what you think, well, kind of. I needed a place to talk without even a little chance of interruption. And this _is_ my favorite place to be outside of school…" he said in a rush. He seemed nervous about something.

"It's beautiful," I said reassuringly to him, causing him to smile graciously. I plopped myself down in the grass, not even thinking of what Alice would say had she seen me do that with a white skirt on. I crossed my legs in front of me, and patted the spot next to me, motioning for Edward to sit. He chuckled lightly, before closing the distance between us and sat down, too. Only he sat down with more grace than I had, making me feel a little inadequate. His legs stretched out and he leaned back on his hands while mine sat patiently and obediently in my lap.

Silence fell upon us for the first time tonight. But it wasn't an awkward silence, I had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to say, but he just couldn't bring himself to start. I hoped he wasn't feeling pressured to tell me, because the last thing I wanted to hear right now was anything involving Tanya.

"Edward, you really don't have to tell me anything if you really don't want to, you don't owe me anything and I'm not expecting anything either," I said before he could start. I guess I had said it kind of fast. He didn't look at me; he just looked out at the small lake in front of us. I fidgeted a little with my hands.

"I know that, but I already told you- I think you need to know. Besides, I can't let you run around with all these silly ideas about me in your head that your heard from other people, whom, by the way, have still remained nameless. Maybe I'd like to thank my biographer…" he said the last part teasingly. I'd never tell him though, that Rosalie was the perp.

"That's a secret I'll take to the grave," I said with mock defiance. He laughed.

"That's okay, I guess everybody else would say the same. Well, most people would." At that, he made a sour face and looked as if he was lost in thought. I waited.

"Where do I start," he asked, more to himself than to me.

"Why don't you tell me everything? From the beginning. Well, okay not that beginning but, how you got here and… stuff," I interjected. He laughed at my fumbling.

"My mom pulled some strings. It's dishonest and I've never told anyone that before, but it's true. Even though she says she didn't. She's friends with the Dean."

I looked at him, surprise written all over me.

"It's not like I didn't have to send in the tape and everything though. They had a committee set up to score me and everything, but I know that my mom's influence helped a bit. Actually, it didn't even help. I felt like I was only here by privilege, so I ended up avoiding everyone and just kept to myself. Seemed kind of stupid to do at the time."

He paused, possibly hoping for me to say something but I didn't. I kept listening, so he continued. To the part I was dreading to hear about.

"I got kind of tired of it, so I started being a little more friendly. Unfortunately, the next person I was friendly to took it the wrong way… Tanya thinks I'm in love with her or something. She's got this crazy idea that I'd follow her everywhere if she asked me to. She's told me how much she likes me and all, but no matter how polite I try to be with her, I keep telling her I just don't see her that way either. You could imagine how awful she made my summer," he said with a light airiness.

I smiled and laughed softly, still not saying a word.

"I'm really sorry she's being so awful to you. She's not the same person I knew last year. She probably feels replaced," he grinned at me.

"Is she replaced?" I asked. I meant to say it jokingly, but the part of me that spoke was a little too serious. His eyes lingered into mine for a second before answering.

"Yes and no. Yes because I'm glad you stumbled into my life. Literally. How do you go for so long without being in a hospital? I think you need to strap pillows on you," he joked. I hit him playfully on the arm, laughing with him. When he spoke again, the seriousness returned. "Tanya kind of made me see that I could be myself around everyone, and you do too, except… more," he finished quietly. His gaze dropped down to the earth in front of him. I felt my heart hammering, wanting to jump out of its case inside my body.

"What about the no part, then?"

His eyes turned to look at me from underneath his lashes, a face I hadn't seen him make before. It was a beautiful face, though.

"No, because you won't turn out like she will."

I smiled teasingly at him. "You're so sure, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I don't think anyone else could turn out like her, really. She's just on her own level."

I pondered. I didn't know what else to say, but one thing had me thinking. I hadn't particularly cared about Edward's past. Well, not the part that concerned Tanya. It did surprise me that his mother had helped him, even in the slightest way possible, to get here. Not that he needed it; he had enough talent for 4 pianists here. But then I realized something; he hadn't gotten such a large room because he needed it to _practice. _

"What are you thinking?" he asked, breaking me out of my daze. I looked up to meet his eyes.

"That you lied when you said you got a bigger dorm room because you needed to fit a piano in there," I said, smiling and glaring at the same time. He let out a hard laugh.

"Slight perk. I would've gotten it anyway."

We stayed in that park for over two hours, the only reason we had even left was because it had gotten so late. Talking with Edward was so easy; it didn't have to be forced. I had probably told him everything there was about me. Life back at Forks, my family, friends, even past crushes and ex-boyfriends. Of course, he had forced that part out of me, only to be responded with my cheeks turning red. We learned more than we could ever imagine about each other in those two hours. But there was still a doubting part of me that nagged- why me? Why had he chosen to confide in me, to tell me his life stories? He knew plenty of people, more than I did. The question never escaped me though; I didn't dare to think of taking advantage of my newfound friendship with Edward.

Friendship. The word struck me hard, like it should amount to more than that. Being Edward's friend? It felt like it wouldn't be enough, now that I knew so much about him. No, I was definitely crushing now. But one thing I would promise myself; I wouldn't let this come in the way. Edward was too special to me to ruin things with over a little school girl swooning. But still, now that I knew him that much better and would only be getting closer to him, it would be just a tad bit harder to contain.

He took hold of my hand again as we walked back, my heart thumping from both his warmth in my hand and from the anxious feeling of running into trouble walking around the dorm building so late. It was definitely past curfew, and Edward must have sensed how worried I was feeling because he seemed to hurry up the stairs with me tailing right behind him.

He finally let me go when we reached my room. I didn't open the door just yet, wanting to prolong our goodbyes for as much as I could although I knew I should let him go, just so he won't get in trouble. But he didn't move so neither did I.

"Thanks, Edward, for tonight," I said in a whisper, not wanting to be heard by any possible bystanders. He smiled and shrugged.

"It was nice to have someone there with me tonight," he said in an equally hushed voice.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" I asked. He nodded.

"Tomorrow it is." I gave him one last smile before turning to open the door.

"Bella," he said in a tone a little louder just as I was about to walk in. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand again, only this time he brought it up to his lips and planted a soft kiss on the top of my wrist. His lips were soft, warm just like his hands. My heart did the thumping thing again and he let me go.

"Goodnight," he whispered before turning back and heading towards the stairs. My head spun and I forgot how to breathe. This was going to be really, really difficult for me to act normal around him now.


	9. Romanza

**A/N:** This chapter is evil for two reasons. One- it's a bit shorter than what I've been building up to, two- it's a bit of a cliff-hanger. But for good reasons, because I hope you guys love it. I'm not saying anything else! Read, REVIEW!! (because you guys inflate my ego tremendously) and enjoy!

* * *

As I predicted, Edward had left me in a most confused state. I don't know how I had managed to get through the rest of the week, especially with our Wednesday lesson together, but soon enough it became Saturday. I started my day off with some practice before I had to dive into some homework. I needed to- with the amount and quality of the work I'd have to do, I'd need to be as relaxed and stress-free as I could be. Well, as stress-free as I could let myself be. I was starting to resent myself for being attracted to Edward, it felt stupid and childish. I was at the most prestige school of its time and what was I doing? Pining after the best pianist it had to offer. Time and time again, I had caught myself staring at him, etching each feature into my mind so that if I blinked, I could still see his face behind my eyelids. But as always, as soon as his gaze met mine, I looked away as quickly as I could.

I decided to take my work to the study hall again, not even thinking about the last time I had been here and the disaster that had ensued from it. I sat at the same table, away from the majority of the people who were crowded around 3 tables, talking amongst themselves. My iPod was turned up as high as it could go, I wasn't even mindful of the people around me who could hear my music just as much as I could. I didn't care. My eyes were downcast on my work, and if I didn't have the music pulsating through my head, I might have just torn up all the papers strewn in front of me. I tapped the eraser end of pencil anxiously, trying to figure out the jumble of words that were asking me to answer. I couldn't even process what the question was, this was so sad.

Someone nearby had hissed a "shush!" that I could barely hear through the ear-buds attached to my head and as I twisted around in my seat, I saw a blonde-haired girl looking rather annoyed at me. I pursed my lips before mouthing a "sorry" to her; guess I didn't realize how much noise I'd been making. This was too much, I finally shoved all my stuff back into my backpack, got up from my seat and headed out the door of the hall. It was pointless to try and study when I was preoccupied with thoughts of other stuff, although I wasn't really even thinking about anything in particular.

The library was adjacent to the study hall, which meant that you could take the door to the next building but I went the long way, striding outside in the fresh autumn breeze before walking into the library. The amount of shelves was a little surprising every time I walked in here. I slung my bag over one shoulder, my ear-buds still in place, and casually started up and down the aisles. I could've easily figured out something to look up on one of the computers, but I decided to do it the hard way. What better way to clear my clouded head than books?

I never thought it possible, but I had the stamina in me to look over every title, every spine whether cracked to the point of destruction, or stiff and new and never opened. I even picked up a few, two novels and a study book. Of course, they all had something musical about them. It wouldn't be proper if they didn't. I must have been searching the shelves for about half an hour, but I hadn't even finished looking through half of them yet.

I was peering at a book, "This is Your Brain on Music" when I jumped back and let out a soft yelp of fright. Through the empty space between the top of the books and the shelf above them was a pair of piercing emerald eyes, looking directly at me. It had scared me so badly that I dropped the books that were cradled in my arms, making even more of a racket than my scream had. All I heard was a soft, amused chuckle come from the aisle in front of me. I picked up my books and quickly walked to the perpetrator who had scared me half to death, only to have my heart pound in my chest to realize it was Edward.

"Sorry, I thought you saw me and were just trying to play stupid," he said as his laughter escalated. I shot him a death glare.

"You're not funny! What if I had pepper spray and sprayed you with it? Would you still be laughing?" I hissed at him.

"Do you have pepper spray?" I shook my head. "Then yes, I'm still laughing." I smacked him on the arm.

"What are you doing in here, anyway, besides giving me a heart attack?"

He shrugged. "I went up to your room to find you but Alice said you'd gone to study. So when I went in the study hall and didn't find you, I thought to myself, 'Think like Bella' so here I am, and here you are," he said in a triumphant voice.

"Why were you looking for me?" I asked him, bracing myself for his answer.

"I just wanted to see what you were up to today, but clearly book searching is a big to-do on your list," he said with a nod towards the books in my hands. I flushed.

"I couldn't stand homework anymore, so I decided to preoccupy myself."

"Would you like some company while you preoccupy yourself?" he asked with an anxious look on his face. I hesitated a moment before smiling and nodding my head.

We continued where I left off in my aisle, looking through each shelf and title. Frequently, he would pull out a book to show me, and I either scrunched my nose and shook my head (which usually launched us into a conversation about how excellent or distasteful the music of Bartók or Monteverdi was). And even at the mention of Joplin, he was familiar with both classical Joplin and rock-out Joplin. To my surprise, he was a fan of both, although he was quite certain he'd never admit it to anyone else. We pulled out more interesting-looking books, talked more about our favorite bands and favorite composers. By the time we had scavenged the entire library, I had about 10 books in my embrace. I hadn't even realized it until Edward pursed his lips together and laughed.

"What?" I asked him dumbly.

"Are you really going to check all those out?" he asked me, unbelievably. I didn't really plan to, I guess I had only been trying to appease him while we walked and talked for so long that I didn't really think about what I would take and what I wouldn't.

"Maybe, maybe not. I do like reading, you know," I said sarcastically. The weight of the books was finally tolling on me and I dropped them as soon as we reached the nearest empty table.

"Yeah, but nobody likes reading _this_ much," he said as I started to sort through the pile we accumulated. "Tell you what, I'll take three and you take three, then we can let each other know if it was as good as we thought it was or not."

"Fine, but you have to take three that I picked out and I'll take three you picked out, so it's fair." He nodded in agreement. I grudgingly left the two extra books Edward had picked out and went to check them out.

* * *

I was enjoying conversation with Edward. Well, I already _enjoyed_ it, but now it was on a whole different level. At home in Forks, there wasn't anyone to really talk about music with. Well, besides what was played on the radio or what was in. Nobody really shared the same appreciation that I had for the classics. Even here at Colburn, it seemed as if most people would rather talk about something more… popular. In a sense, I'd found my match with Edward. There was nobody who could get into a deep conversation about the scandals and lives of a bunch of dead old guys who wrote "Ode to Joy" and "Chopsticks."

We were sitting in the courtyard for who knows how long. The books lay beside us untouched on the bench we were perched on. I curled my legs underneath me, Edward kept shifting in his seat and from having started out about six inches away from me, he was practically leaning on me. I didn't mind, but apparently my heart did as it sped up like it always did. I was extremely glad he couldn't feel my pulse at the moment, but if the heat from my body wasn't radiating enough to let him know what he was doing to me, then he must be quite oblivious.

"Okay, okay one more- hmmm, how about… Debussy?"

I scoffed.

"Overrated! Especially 'Claire de Lune,' it's used in practically every romantic movie ever made, it makes me want to rip my ears off!" He looked offended.

"I happen to _like_ 'Claire de Lune,' thank you," he said in a mock-curt voice.

"How feminine of you, Edward," I teased him. His eyes turned to slits at me and I laughed. He let out a low growl, at which made my skin crawl and shiver. Suddenly his eyes turned away from mine, looking out onto the grassy area in front of us. I turned my head to follow his gaze, but I didn't need to search for long. Tanya and a group of her friends were sitting around on the grass, Tanya's side profile was facing us but her eyes were shooting daggers right in our direction. Or well, rather just at me. I didn't even notice them sitting there, it had probably been a while, judging from the way she was staring and sitting.

My laughter died out, and suddenly I felt something crawling around my waist which made me gasp lightly. I looked down at my side only to see Edward's gentle hand lightly grasping at me, his arm snaked around me. When I looked back up at him, his face was focused on mine. He had a look that I hadn't seen before- intent? Fierce? Protective? Did he think Tanya was going to tear me into bits and pieces right now?

"Edward-"

"Just go along with it, please." He almost begged me. I was still confused, though. Why was he trying to hurt Tanya? She hadn't done anything really, besides throw an empty threat at me and maybe some snide remarks but I didn't care about it. Edward was definitely out of my reach, well, at the moment only metaphorically. Literally, I was in _his_ reach.

"You really shouldn't be this mean to her," I warned him. As much as I was enjoying this new closeness between him and me, I knew it was wrong. Cruel and wrong. If I were Tanya, this would just kill me. As much as I didn't like her, I didn't want to upset her. The look in his eyes told me something else though, and suddenly I realized that Tanya must have done something extremely horrible to him for him to be like this. She could have cornered him or something, said something particularly nasty. My sympathy for her quickly dwindled down to an ounce of sorrow for her.

He spoke into my ear this time, leaning to press his cheek against mine and whispered, "Bella, there are things about Tanya that would make anyone's hair crawl. It's not for me, it's for you. I don't want to see you get hurt by her over me, it's not worth it. Trust me on that." His breath tickled the crook of my neck, and I involuntarily shivered and took in a sharp breath of air.

"She can't hurt me, she's just all bark. I don't need protecting, Edward," I said softly but firmly. He didn't seem to hear me as his even breathing was still blowing softly on my neck. If only he knew what he was doing to me…

I dared to shoot a glance towards Tanya but I instantly regretted it. She looked as if she wanted to attack me with a machete. A part of me wanted to pull out of Edward's embrace, that was the honest part of me, but the other two parts inside were jumping for joy. The evil Bella inside was laughing in Tanya's face, the head-over-heels-for-Edward Bella wanted to stay in this position forever, just minus the evil witch who had a death sentence on me watching us like a vulture. It was too much PDA for me, and I've never been one for that stuff. Edward's hand gripped a little tighter on me and I had to bite my lip to keep from opening my mouth and letting out a stammer of jumbled nonsense escape my mouth. It was wracking me how he hadn't said anything yet, as if my senses weren't in frenzy from everything already. I needed to pull away, not only for Tanya, but for myself. I was going to combust.

"She's vindictive, Bella. Just trust me," he repeated himself.

"I _do_ trust you," my words came out like putty. Wow, was I an idiot or what?

Edward chuckled lightly in my ear.

"Good to know, Bella," he said with a stronger voice. He pulled his cheek away from mine, stealing a glance at Tanya's face before reverting them back to mine. He looked apprehensively at me, almost nervous.

"Can you promise me something right now?" I nodded. "Just promise that you won't be extremely mad at me for what I'm about to do?"

My heart flew into my throat, and I couldn't answer him. Before I knew it, he placed his free hand on the side of my neck and bent down to press his lips softly, but firmly, on mine. I didn't even have time to close my eyes, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a red-faced Tanya storming away from her little group.


	10. Galliard

**A/N:** I hope you guys didn't wait too long for this! I have controlled the situation, and both ends are quite happy! And I know some of you are wondering about the music aspects of the piece, and I apologize for diving so deep into the subject and leaving you guys in the dark. Visit my profile page for links to explain stuff that might have you lost. I included a copy of the sheet music of the piece, a link to listen/download a version by Jacqueline du Pre, and youtube links, wiki pages of composers, all sorts of good stuff! I hope you guys aren't so confused anymore. If you still have questions, feel free to send me a PM. Okay enough of this, read on, REVIEW (you guys are so good to me, I swear) and enjoy!

* * *

I wasn't exactly breaking my promise, I mean, he did say not to get _extremely mad_. I wasn't _extremely_ mad, I was a _little_ mad. Mad, mixed with a bunch of different emotions. The only ones coming to mind were confusion, shock, disappointed, sad. Especially sad, it seemed to be taking over most of the emotional pie chart in me. It wasn't as if I didn't take joy in the fact that he had kissed me, after all, he did give me a warning, kind of. I could've stopped it before it happened. I _should_ have. I should have pulled away as soon as he started it, but I didn't. And now, because of me, not only did Tanya get hurt, I did too. I know I shouldn't feel like that, but I do. It hurt me, not only because my own feelings were getting in the way of everything, but because he had only done it to spite Tanya. _If he did, then why did it feel so right to have him kiss me?_

Because I'm a stupid fool. Honestly, what other reason was there to explain myself? As soon as he had pulled his lips away from mine (at which I felt a sudden pang of disappointment, his lips felt much too nice against mine) I could only stare at him in shock. He looked extremely sad, almost remorseful. I did what any idiot would do; I got up and bolted back to my room, not even worrying about my newly checked out books as I left them.

I couldn't even make it to my bed to bury my face in a pillow before I started crying. I hated crying, it was the most vulnerable feeling in the world and it made me feel weak. I just slid down the length of the door as soon as I was safe inside, letting the hot flow of saline roll down my cheeks. I wiped at them hastily.

The one thing that was tugging on the back of my mind was asking why Edward could be so cruel, even if it was Tanya? I had certainly convinced myself that he was much more gentlemanly than that. And for me? Did he really believe this would alleviate the situation between me and Tanya now? Certainly not, she's probably plotting something to destroy me right now.

But all in all, I realized that my anger was only at myself, not at Edward. This was ridiculous, really, because the last thing I should want to do is talk to him, let him explain himself, but I _did_ want to hear his voice. It made me feel even guiltier. I finally crawled over to my bed and hoisted myself up, curling in a fetal position. The sun was almost completely set now, and I'm sure Alice would be coming back soon. I didn't want her to ask me questions, so I tried my best to force myself to sleep. But even ask I drifted off slowly, I knew that my dreams would be no better than my reality right now.

I tried my best to avoid everyone the next three days, the most Alice could get out of me was when she handed me my books that I'd carelessly forgotten with Edward. She said Edward asked her to bring them to me, and my heart hit a twang. I tried to smile as best as I could in thanks before I headed out the door again.

My classes on Monday and Tuesday were in a stupor. I felt like a zombie; in my confused state, I could hardly pay attention to anything. Even Theory seemed to be tolerable while I wanted to scream already, why not scream about two things at once?

I had to force myself to go to Ensemble on Tuesday evening, and even then I started to feel out of place. I felt like everyone was either talking about me, or looking at me like I was an alien. In truth, I might as well have been. The entire class, I kept my eyes on my papers. Never once daring to look up at Edward, or look at Tanya. Much to my surprise, Tanya didn't throw books at me or even give me her death glares. In fact, she was just as focused on music in front of her as I was. Something about the way she was acting made me a bit nervous. I dropped my gaze back to my music, but I could feel Edward's eyes burning into me. I couldn't risk crying all of a sudden, so I clenched my jaw and looked at anything except him.

As class finished, I was packing my things away. An arm brushed against mine, it being the first contact with anyone since _that day_. I looked up to see who it was, but all I saw was the back of a tall, bronze-haired boy trying to get out of the room as fast as possible. I sloppily packed everything else away, the tears threatening to fall again.

As I woke up on Wednesday, I wondered how I was going to get through our lesson without having a sob fest in front of him. Maybe I shouldn't even go, he might not even show up so why waste time? But I knew better, he would show, and there was no avoiding it today. He'd come and find me if I ditched him, and he'd insist that we need to rehearse. We did, progress was a little slow even though we still had plenty of time until the recital. But I knew any time wasted would be bad. I had no choice, I definitely needed to go.

As I left my Chamber class, I walked slowly on purpose. I took as much time I as needed, not wanting to arrive early. I picked a slow somber song on my iPod, letting my feet shuffle to the tempo to keep from speeding up. It still only took me 10 gloriously painful minutes until I reached the practice room we usually met in.

I didn't bother knocking like I usually did. I didn't hear any piano sounds coming from inside, so I had a fleeting hope that he wasn't here yet. But as I turned the knob and walked in, I wasn't alone. Edward sat in his spot at the piano, his elbows sitting on two or three keys and his hands were tangled in his hair. He looked frustrated, definitely channeling the emotion I was feeling right now. He looked up at me when I walked in, and I noticed he looked tired. I probably didn't look much better though. Not that I could compare myself to him.

"Hi," his voice came out raspy. I half-smiled at him, not daring to try to speak in fear my voice would betray me. I started setting up my chair and unpacking my things, only this time instead of facing him like I always did, I turned my chair in the same direction he would face. He seemed rather hurt about it.

"So where do we start today?" he tried to keep his tone light. God, I was such an awful person. I couldn't even make this less awkward by acting normal. I wasn't going to win this, not with myself.

I tried to smile at him again, this time with reassurance. It worked a little; he let out a breath that he had been holding in, I hadn't noticed it.

"How about measure 22? That's where we stopped at last time," I said. If he did have something on his mind, I wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. He nodded his head, turned to his music and waited for my cue. I paused for a few seconds before actually giving him one, taking in a breath right before I started playing.

I had to admit, we played beautifully together. I was getting way better at this, and to mesh the music I was making with the sound produced from Edward's fingers, well, I was getting caught up in the music again. I took in a deep breath, letting my eyes fall closed as my body overtook the music inside me. I swayed slightly with each bow-stroke. I had to admit, I was the calmest I had been in the last three days. Even if it was for a little while, getting lost in the music meant that I didn't have to think about Edward, even though he was just as much influencing the calmness in me as my cello was. It was like love and hate both triggering me to feel better.

Also surprising was how smoothly the rehearsal had gone, or well, minus the hesitant glances Edward was giving me. It might have been because when I thought he wasn't looking, my expression turned somber immediately. We had about fifteen minutes left, and we had just stopped on the last line of the sheet.

"I think it needs to be softer at this part."

"Bella, I'm sorry."

His words caught me off-guard. My head snapped up from writing on my music sheets to look at him, the wary expression on his face again. It was sudden and he definitely chose a good moment to catch my attention. I looked at him, studying him for a second.

"It's not that big of a deal, I mean just play it softer-," I figured if I just played ignorant to what he was really sorry for, the chances of me running away from him again would be slim to none.

"Bella! You know that's not what I mean." Crap, my plan didn't work.

"I know, you don't have to apologize, Edward. I know you only did it to make Tanya mad." His face turned into hurt the moment the words left my mouth.

"That's what I'm sorry about. I guess I wasn't thinking, and instead of hurting only one person, I've hurt two," his eyes fell to the floor. I felt an inch of bravery crawling into me, and if I didn't ask now, I'd never get to know.

"Why, Edward? I know you could never hurt someone like that; you're not cruel like she is. I didn't expect you to stoop so low," my voice was quiet.

"Bella, I wouldn't have done that if I didn't have reason."

"What's the reason then?"

He hesitated, trying to decide on whether to tell me or not.

"Thursday, after class, I went back to my room and she was standing there waiting for me. The first thing she did was start asking me questions, about… you," he said carefully. He looked up to meet my eyes, searching for any emotion in my face but I held stern to indifference. I wouldn't break down, at least not right now. "She was talking pretty loudly, so I told her to come into my room so that nobody else would hear her. Then she started going off about how I "don't care for her like I used to" and "that I was falling in love with a new kid" and how everyone was starting to talk."

I shifted slightly in my seat when he said "falling in love," the subject disconcerted me.

"I didn't care about what she was saying, and I think she noticed. She started making up plans about how she was going to take you down, and that's when I couldn't handle it anymore. It's so wrong, Bella, how she's unusually cruel to you, and just you. She never did anything like this to anyone last year. I must have been yelling my head off at her, but she was smiling like she had just gotten what she wanted and… she tried to _kiss_ me," he said the magical word like it was made out of garbage. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, and even I scrunched my nose in disgust. Just trying to picture her puckering her over-glossed lips at Edward sent a burning pang of jealousy down my spine.

"You have to understand, Bella, my intention wasn't to hurt you. I'm really, truly sorry about that. I should have told you before, but… when have I ever been good at telling you things instead of having you find out for yourself?" he said with a half-hearted, lopsided grin. I wasn't paying attention; the words were still traveling through osmosis speed into my brain. I had to admit, a part of me felt a little better, but that was still only the fracture of evil Bella inside me. So Cruella had it coming, I knew Edward wasn't as mean and vindictive as she was.

"Say something, what are you thinking?" he pleaded me. I didn't realize I had still been silent seconds after. I pursed my lips together, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"I… understand. I think. But I'm still confused. I don't know, I mean, that explains Tanya but… what about us, Edward?" Oh no, I said the word I didn't want to say- _us_. I wanted to hit myself right then and there; why do I always make myself look like an ass?

"Do you want me to lie or be honest?" God, no. I couldn't handle a lie right now.

"Honesty, please."

His face was all kinds of frightened, but he forced himself to speak.

"I think you're a genuine person, Bella. Actually, that has to be an understatement. What I mean is, when I came here to this school, I felt extremely out of place. Even when I was friends with Tanya, I still felt like Tanya was my companion in outcastville. I've never met anyone like you, someone who _feels_ what music is, not just _hears_ it. When I watch you play, it's like a different person comes out, the one that's been stuck inside a shell and wants to stretch her wings. You tell stories with it, hell, you even put Mozart and Beethoven to shame. It's like you take what I feel inside me and put it out on display in your cello. You can't imagine what it's like to watch you play," he said with a small chuckle before his voice turned serious again. "I'd be a liar if I said I didn't think you're special, Bella, but I told you, you won't be like Tanya. Never. I promise you that. I just wish that Saturday hadn't happened so I could do this more… _properly_."

My heart had crawled back up into my throat, a stinging feeling struck my eyes again but this time, it wasn't because I was sad. I was floating above the room, miles away from humanity. I couldn't see anything except for Edward, arms on his knees in front of me, asking me to understand where he was coming from.

"Do what properly?" Honestly, there wasn't anything he _wasn't_ doing properly right now. This was the last thing I'd expected to hear from him.

He let out a sigh before answering. "Asking you to just, give me time. That is, if you don't hate me by now," he looked at me expectantly.

"I could never hate you, Edward. But everything's just so sudden. I'm still trying to take in everything you're saying, it's just too dream-like for me right now," I said, for once not caring how stupid I sounded. If Edward had the guts to spill this to me, I could afford a moment of embarrassment, too.

"Can we just go slowly, pretend that nothing happened?" he asked me. I could've frowned.

"I'm not protesting what happened," I said defiantly. His lip twitched into an upward curve for a fleeting second. It was true though, I wasn't upset he'd kissed me. If the circumstances had been different, I would've jumped him right then and there.

"Alright, then just… go slow?" I nodded, feeling my spirits relieved and somehow in a happier state. In just fifteen minutes, my mood had gone from morose to I've-never-been-so-happy-in-my-entire-life. This wasn't a "truce to signify that we were just friends", this was a "right now is too soon, so let's take our time."

Edward's face was rid of all anxiety, as was mine, and everything seemed back to normal as a student who needed the practice room after us knocked and asked if we were done.

"You and Edward are together now, aren't you?" Alice accused me on Friday afternoon, pointing out the stupid smile I had on my face. I didn't answer her as she danced in between the space of our beds. We had moved Rosalie's out of the way against the other wall, giving the two of us a little more room. Rosalie hardly ever stopped by nowadays, and if she did, Alice and I jumped for joy. Rosalie was actually fun to have around once you got used to her, and she and Emmett always filled us in on the upperclassmen gossip. I never had bothered to ask what Rosalie was studying, but it only figured it would be Drama. I knew Emmett was a percussionist since he was in my Ensemble class, but I hardly ever had time to notice him since he was stuck in the back of the classroom.

"See, you can't even admit it! You are! I knew it!" Alice said with a laugh as she pirouetted. She had put on one of her ballet CD's with the volume up pretty high. I didn't seem to mind, actually it was quite relaxing. I was in dire need of it considering I hadn't finished last week's homework and now had a pile that would last me the entire weekend.

"We are not, Alice," I said in a simple voice. I still hadn't told her what had happened last Saturday, but I knew if I told her now she'd be forever convinced. I told myself I'd tell her at a later gathering.

"You've been spending an awful lot of time with him, he's even coming around to look for you," she accused again. A goofy smile spread across my face again. This time, Alice sighed exasperatedly at me.

"Bella, this isn't fun! You're not even being honest about it! Tell me, you know I won't say anything, pinky swear," she said as she stuck out her pinky, waiting for me to hook mine with hers. It wasn't fair really, that I hold so much information from her. After all, she was becoming my best friend quite quickly.

"Alice, why is it every time you ask about me and Edward, I tell you nothing happened?"

"Because you take pleasure in making me suffer." This girl doesn't miss a beat. I had to laugh.

"No! Because it's exactly that," I said. She looked like she could kill me. "But, I guess something did happen…" I trailed off for dramatic effect. Alice's eyes widened and she plopped herself down on my bed next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders in a vice grip.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me, _in full_, exactly what happened!" she said in her high-pitched voice. I tried to wiggle out of her grip but it was useless, for someone so small she sure had a good grasp.

"I can't breathe!" I yelped. She laughed as she loosened up a little, but still holding on enough to keep me still.

"Fine, fine," I finally gave in. I told her about what had happened, editing my story a little to leave out mine and Edward's intimate moment. She looked at me with a dreamy expression, giving out a dramatic sigh for sound effect at every proper moment. When I finished retelling the tale, she had a look of mischief in her eye.

"Alice, I told you, we're not _anything_… yet, please don't do anything to embarrass me!" I warned and pleased at the same time. But Alice waved her hand at me as if to brush off what I just said. I didn't trust that.

"Whatever, this is just good news for me too, Bella. Now maybe I can sneak off to Jasper's room without having Edward there, you know... he can busy himself elsewhere," she said with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows. I blushed beet-red and smacked her on the arm.


	11. Grave

**A/N: **Another bittersweet chapter, fresh from yours truly! This chapter took me a while to perfect because I have to give you guys the best ;) And a funny thing happened when I started writing it Sunday night. I was watching a Law & Order: SVU marathon (which is totally my favorite show EVER) and it was an episode where some girl was being stalked by a creepy guy and she played the cello, and she was giving a recital and guess what she played? YES, that's right- ELEGIE BY FAURE! I was jumping up and down in my seat, even though it was only the first 4 notes of the piece. Anyway, enough of my stupidity, read, REVIEW! and enjoy! :)

* * *

I can't explain how things were now, but I was euphoric. I couldn't have asked for a better situation to be put in, well, actually yes I could. I wasn't going to dwell on that though, because I had agreed to give Edward more time. Truth be told, I needed it too, after everything happening in such a sudden, I definitely needed time to get my head on straight.

Edward and I had been almost joined at the hip whenever we were able to. Usually you could spot us in the study hall on the weekends or in the courtyard with Alice and Jasper with us. I'd never had a group of friends who I could become close with, usually back at home I'd have a friend or two I'd sit with at lunch but that's as far as it went. There wasn't a point really, everyone knew each other in Forks, so it was very impersonal. But having all three of these amazing people around me gave me a sense of belonging.

Of course, being with Edward wasn't exactly okay with other people. I did notice that people were starting to look at me, as if I was going to jump out and attack them at any given moment. It was either that, or they smirked at me. Either way, I rolled my eyes. I don't care; I was used to that stuff by now. But there was a pair of eyes that did seem to make me more nervous than the rest.

Tanya was still giving me nasty glances when she could, but this time, she had a sick smile on her face. It made me wring my wrists every time. I knew she wouldn't just take the insult and move on with life. She was brewing something up, so I had to be on my toes for now.

I had started one of the books that Edward had recommended, and having failed to have noticed what it was about when I checked it out, the subject made me roll my eyes.

Debussy.

I tried to read the book with an open mind, but as I jumped into the third chapter, I didn't need to. I was totally engrossed.

_"A symphony is usually built on a melody heard by the composer as a child. The first section is the customary presentation of a theme on which the composer proposes to work; then begins the necessary dismemberment; the second section seems to take place in an experimental laboratory; the third section cheers up a little in a quite childish way, interspersed with deep sentimental phrases during which the melody recedes, as is more seemly; but it reappears and the dismemberment goes on... I am more and more convinced that music is not, in essence, a thing which can be cast into a traditional and fixed form. It is made up of colors and rhythms."_

It was just the title quote. The words seemed to hit me, though, as I felt a nerve twang inside. I suddenly had a better respect for Debussy. I shouldn't really doubt Edward's taste.

I curled up on my bed reading, I was almost to chapter 7 and I had only started the book two days ago. It was an amazing feat, considering how much homework and practice I had.

I lifted my head from my book to look out the window for a minute. I was excited that the weather was changing from small, tiny breezes mixed in with the sunny rays impending down upon me every day to cooler weather. It was silly and stupid of me to miss the rain, but an autumn in Los Angeles was something not to be missed. The trees were changing from green to yellow to orange to red. I didn't even have time to blink to realize it was October now. Autumn was already my favorite season, even though seasons in Washington were most always blurred together because of the constant rain. This was unlike anything I'd seen before though, it looked picturesque and straight out of a movie. It might as well have been, considering my life had become one basically. One big, sappy, sucker movie.

I broke out of my daze out of the window by a quick _knock-knock-knock_ on my door. It couldn't have been Alice and Edward usually only rapped once or twice. I got up from my seat to be surprised by who was on the other side of the door.

"Umm, hi, you're Bella, right?" the girl's voice was high and squeaky, almost nervous. I recognized her as Jessica from our Ensemble class. She played clarinet, and she was a bit of a talker. When I first met her, I had a strong urge to just walk away while I still could.

I nodded politely.

"Well, umm… Anne wanted me to hand you this," she said as she fumbled with a folded note in her hand. She stuck it out for me to take, which I did with caution. Anne never wrote me a note before; usually she could wait to tell me things in person. Before I could look up, Jessica had walked away, leaving me hanging in my own doorway, looking at the piece of paper in my hands. I walked back in my room, shutting the door behind me and took a seat back on my bed.

I unfolded the paper; the scrawl was kind of loopy, a little too unprofessional for a teacher.

_Bella,_

_I know this is a little odd, but I just got word of this and I wanted you to know ASAP. I found the loveliest set of cello strings, Evah Pirazzi by Piastro! I had to run out of my office for a second, but I want you to drop off your cello in my office so I can put them on for you, the door is always open. You can leave it overnight, or come back later today if you need to practice._

_Anne._

My eyes widened in excitement, Piastro strings were considered the one of the finest quality strings, and they weren't cheap either. But, somewhere in my excitement, I felt a little irked. She could've waited to tell me this in class. And had she really suggested I leave my cello unattended? It was a little unlike her, but they _were_ Piastro. Anyone who said no to Piastro was clearly insane.

I decided to be a little alert about this. I grabbed my cello and headed for her office. I'd stow it away hidden underneath the piano, she usually kept a few boxes there that would hide it very well. I'd leave a note on top of her desk to let her know where I put it. I felt a little wrong for abandoning my cello, even if it was for the night. It was like leaving a baby unattended.

Of course, my excitement at this new improvement on my instrument dwindled a little when Tanya passed me in the hall. Only this time, she didn't look at me. She still had her god-awful smirk, but her eyes stayed front and center, not even glancing at me as she passed. A sudden feeling of dread ran over me.

I was about to head back to my room when I caught Alice in her dance attire walking in our building, her duffle bag slung on her shoulder. I shouted for her, waving her over. She nearly skipped over with a smile plastered on her face. She was unusually chirpy, even for Alice.

"What's gotten into you today? Is it the weather?" I teased. If I were Alice, I'd dance about the weather. But she only shook her head.

"Not exactly, although it is really nice today. I have bigger news!"

"Well, tell me then!" her excitement caught on to me. It never ceased to amaze me how infectious Alice could be.

"I'll tell you when we go have some dinner, I already told Jasper and Edward I had something to say so I don't want to spoil the surprise," she was practically beaming and I could tell she would just love to tip over and spill everything right now. But I held indignant to her own promise, she would have to wait until we were all together. I wondered though, what could possibly be so great for Alice to announce over a meal? She wasn't pregnant, I think… no way! Maybe she's leaving Colburn for a better school, like Julliard or something. No, she wouldn't be that excited to tell us she was leaving. I let the possibilities formulate in my head, me stamping them as either "maybe" or "definitely not." I guess we'd just have to wait.

* * *

Of course, it wasn't like we'd gone to some fancy restaurant for her big news. We settled on the cafeteria. It was typical ridiculous Alice to put on a dress that would suit her well at a school dance; she often did things extravagantly. I was quite thankful she had let me dress myself today, opting to go in simple jeans and a light sweater over my tank top. Thankfully, Jasper and Edward decided to come casual too, making Alice look like she was going to a party without us. She didn't mind though, she was smiling the entire today and nothing would falter her.

"Okay, okay, I have to tell you guys now otherwise I'm going to explode," Alice finally chimed as our laughter died away from our previous conversation. All three of us were suddenly acutely tuned into Alice, but she took in a deep breath before speaking.

"I got the lead! I got the lead for Coppélia!" Alice's voice had raised two octaves, and while Edward and I just looked at each other in confusion, _sincere_ confusion, Jasper was already pulling Alice into a hug, doing the awkward intimate thing they always do. Alice's grin only grew wider.

"Alice, what's Coppélia?" I asked slowly, not wanting to hurt her feelings. She looked at me incredulously.

"Only the best ballet ever!" she said as she launched into the plot. She told us she had actually auditioned for the part of Coppélia, but the auditioner told her she would be perfect for Swanilda. I still wasn't sure what she was talking about, but what made Alice happy made me happy. I reached over and gave her a big squeeze.

"That's great, Alice. Does this mean front row seats reserved for us?" I teased.

"Well, duh!" she didn't see my joke. Typical.

"And the best part is that they've decided to have it at Zipper Hall instead of Thayer, like they usually put the ballet recitals. That means there's going to be twice as many people coming!" she gushed.

"Wait, I heard they were doing a different ballet this year, did they decide to just throw in another one?" Edward asked Alice.

"Kind of, the ballet teacher's been holding out for Coppélia for a while now but when the dance teachers decide on what they should put on each year, she gets outvoted. She wasn't having any of that though, so they decided to let her have her fun, thankfully. The only thing is that opening night is during the first week of November so they don't have to scrunch every recital together during the last two weeks."

"Even better, that means more people will come and see it, you know I won't miss it for anything," I said with a smile. Alice's arms wiggled back around me in her death grip again.

* * *

I hurried as fast as I could to get my cello out of Anne's office the next morning. Just like the day before, she wasn't in but her door was swung open. My cello was against the wall in plain sight as I walked in to grab it, silently fuming that she had left it out in the open like that. I was in a bit of a rush, my chamber class would be starting soon and I had two minutes to get there. Forgetting everything but the excitement of having such good quality strings on my cello, I headed off to my class.

About two weeks ago, Edward and I had discovered he and I had a class in the same building. We had made it a little game of ours to always smile at each other when I passed by the window of the room he was in. He could almost time me by now. It could've been defined as cutely sickening. This time though, because of my hurry, I walked a little quicker and only got to throw him a quick one. He almost didn't see me, his head snapped up just as I was about to pass by completely. I nearly ran the last five steps to get to the room I needed.

I greeted the group in a normal matter, taking my seat in the chair next to the violist whose name I still didn't know. I placed my music folder on the stand in front of me, and then grabbed my cello to peel it out of the shell.

What I saw not only shocked me, but sent me into a panicked frenzy.

Instead of looking down to find new, gleaming shiny strings, I saw _no_ strings. Not just no strings, but no bridge, no pegs, and no fine tuners on my cello. My heartbeat rose quickly, and tears were already threatening to fall from my eyes.

The rest of the group noticed my missing pieces, and all started to murmur things like "uh oh," "oh my" and "ouch."

"Bella, what happened to your cello? Did you drop it?" the first violinist asked me. My mouth hung open, still not believing this was real.

"I… I can't be here now, I have to go, sorry," I mumbled to them. I packed everything I had unpacked back up, in a rush and hurry. I bolted out as fast as I could out of the room; I noticed some of the others were looking apologetically at me. I couldn't hold it in anymore; the tears were streaming down my face again.

I ran as fast as I could back to Anne's office. She had to be there now, if not, someone would have to hold me down to keep from finding her. Something in me told me it wasn't her, that everything had been fishy since the beginning. She was a teacher, she even said she adored me, she wouldn't do that to me. It was preposterous, but I needed an answer and she was the only one who could give it to me.

Then I heard a velvet voice calling my name from behind me.

"Bella! Bella, wait!" but even though Edward's voice was soothing me minutely, I still ran. The wind whipped the tears back on my cheeks, and they felt like ice on my warming skin. I had just managed to get into my instructor's office when a pair of hands came down around my waist, pulling me back and colliding me into Edward. I didn't want him to see me like this, it was too exposed. But I couldn't stop crying.

"Bella…," he tried to reassure me, "what happened?"

"I don't know," I managed to say between huge gasps of breath. Fabulous, not only was I crying like a damn idiot, I started hyperventilating too. It was true though, I didn't know what happened. All I knew was that my most treasured possession had been defiled. That thought made the tears fall harder. Anne wasn't in the room, much to my blessing, so she didn't have to witness me being a mess right now.

Edward took my cello and bag from me and placed it against the wall and sat me down on the piano bench, all the while never letting go of me. It was horrible that I had dreamed of being in Edward's embrace like this for the last week, but I was just a crying mess all over his shirt. His hand was cradling my head as I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his shoulder. All I wanted to do was shut my eyes and pray that I was dreaming.

Edward didn't say a word until I had stopped crying; even then he didn't say anything as I apologized for ruining his shirt. His expression didn't change- he just gave me a worried, wary look. I pulled away reluctantly from him and wiped at my eyes. He stayed silent patiently, waiting for me to tell him what happened.

I told him about the note, about how weird it was but how in my own stupidity I believed it anyway. The only thing that still nagged at me was how I couldn't believe that a teacher would do that.

Almost instantly, his face fell as realization overtook him as to what I was implying, that somehow Tanya had to have done this. She had set it all up. Her sinister expression dawned over me, the one she gave me, or rather didn't give me, when I left Anne's office yesterday.

But now wasn't the time, I didn't need him to try and blame himself. Anne walked into her office just then, surprise written all over her face to see me red-faced and tear-stained with Edward, whose arm was still wrapped around me defensively.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Anne asked me. I didn't know how to address her about this. She seemed totally clueless, which only confirmed my suspicions.

"I don't suppose you had a… letter delivered to me yesterday, did you?" I asked hesitantly. She only looked more bewildered.

"Not at all, why?"

I sighed, and moved to grab my cello and take it out again. I had my hopes up that maybe if I unpacked it this time, I would find the missing parts of it still intact. No, no, I hadn't dreamed it. Shoot.

Anne's face turned to one of horror. "Bella, what on earth happened?"

I recounted the tale for the second time in the past fifteen minutes. The only part I left out was my feeling of Tanya having something to do with it. I would have gladly told her, but the only problem was that I didn't have proof. A simple "well, she's been giving me the worst glares lately because she thinks Edward and I are together, but we're not really, not yet, but maybe sometime really soon… who knows?" would be out of the question.

Anne turned sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, Bella! I didn't even see your cello in my office at all. I would have told you if I had, and why someone would do this to you is extremely beyond me. I knew it was a bad idea to leave my office so open, I guess this is just what I get."

I shook my head. "No, it's not your fault. I guess I just got too excited and didn't think it through. I knew you wouldn't have written me a note, so I just set myself up for it."

"Well, you know we can always send it in for repairs and replacements, but it might take a while. There's a rather popular luthier close to the school, I can take it to him and ask him to keep it his top priority, but you know these things take time and precaution. I can rent you a cello until then, if it helps. And for good measure, I'll make sure he adds in some _real_ Evah Pirazzi's for a discounted price, too," she said with a promising smile.

I bit my lip. It wasn't that her offer wasn't generous; in fact it was more than I expected. "Well, how long do you think it will take?"

She pondered it for a moment. "At best, at least two weeks."

I scowled. It had taken me five years to find the perfect cello. Picking up another one and just getting on with life wasn't as easy as it sounded. A cello is made to fit the player, and everything else compared to mine was considered crap. But still, there wasn't much else I could do.

"That'd be extremely nice of you, I'd like that," I said with still much sadness in my tone.

Anne gave me another sympathetic look and put her arm around me. "I know how it feels; it's like finding out your own child's in the hospital. But I promise I'll try and make this as quick as possible for you. You can leave it here and I'll take it over on my next break. I promise I'll lock the door this time," she said with a light chuckle. I laughed with her, but Edward's lips only formed a tight smile. At once, I knew what he was thinking.

"I have to ask though, since this is such a crime, if you know who could have done this?" Crap, she asked the thing I was hoping she wouldn't.

I looked to Edward for help, but his eyes were hard and he let out a hard breath. To my surprise, he shook his head.

"No… not really," I lied, looking back at Anne. She seemed to understand what we were thinking, but she didn't press on.

"Well, you know you shouldn't let this go unpunished. If you think of anyone, don't hesitate to come to me, Bella. This is quite a serious predicament, and whoever did this has no idea what'll be in store for them when they get caught."

My heart seemed to swell with what Anne said. First, because her tone was bitterly angry, something I'd never seen her be before. Second, because she was serious. She was intent on catching the person. She had said _when_, not _if_. I smiled as best as I could, packed my cello back in its case and thanked Anne again. Anne and Edward both laughed when I hugged and kissed it before setting it aside against the wall again. We walked out of her office, and a big hole inside me formed.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Edward asked me. I sighed and nodded slightly.

"I'll make it out alive. I'm just not looking forward to these two weeks. It's so hard to just play with a different cello."

He understood what I meant, and we quietly walked back out of the building. As soon as we stepped outside, Edward stopped in his tracks and pulled me back into another one of his vice-grip hugs. I let out a little yelp from my surprise.

"Edward, I'm _okay_, I promise," I tried reassuring him but he held indignant, shaking his head.

"She wouldn't have done this if it wasn't because of me." I scoffed, trying to pull away from him to look him in the eyes but he held firm. I wasn't particularly fond of his Alice hugs.

"Will you stop blaming yourself and just be okay with the fact that I am a big girl and can deal with Tanya myself? You heard Anne, she's going to get it coming to her, we just have to find a way to squeal it out of her."

This time he pulled away, looking down into my eyes with deep, hidden sorrow. It sent a chill down my spine, and I hoped I wouldn't have to see that in his face again. His hands clasped with mine, his thumbs rubbing small circles where they landed.

"I wish I could make you see what I see, Bella. It's not just her being jealous; she hit a nerve for me. She took away something precious to you, she took away the _music_," his voice was smooth, and I could've gone weak at the knees at his words. His eyes closed for a second, regaining himself. "She might as well just have carved out my heart, too."

I felt my lips part in automatic response. His words etched into my brain, but the more I thought into it the more upset I felt.

"Is that why you bother with me? Because you think I play so well?" I kept the hurt out of my voice, opting to sound teasing and joking.

"No, Bella. You play well because it's who you are. I told you already, you break out of your shell when you sit there with your cello, _that's_ why I bother myself. It's when I get to see the real you, the Bella with no guard. But… I guess the 'amazing cellist' part is just an added bonus," he said with a light laugh. I couldn't help but blush.

"You certainly have a way with words, Edward Cullen," I murmured. He smiled his crooked grin.

"Only around you, Bella Swan, only around you."


	12. Sforzando

**A/N:** I'm not going to say anything, except you reviewers are amazing :) I hope this is good enough for you all! Enjoy!

* * *

"I can't do this anymore, this thing isn't a cello, it's a piece of crap," I let out as I tried my best to hide the sour-sounding note with a vibrato. I knew it wasn't me; I was trying as best as I could to play this… this… _monstrosity_ in front of me but it was stubborn. The strings were at least two years old, meaning they would screech as soon as it got to the end of my bow. My hand was in pain from having to put so much pressure to even produce a sound out of it, and try as hard as I could, it wouldn't stay in tune.

Edward let out an exasperated sigh as his fingers slammed down on 5 keys in a row, making the piano go from sweet melody to sounding like someone dropped a cat on the keys. I knew I was being difficult, this was at least the sixth time in a row I had stopped playing and we didn't even get half-way through the piece; it had been forty minutes into our rehearsal. A week had passed since the big mess but I only barely made it by now. I was going crazy having to deal with this low excuse of an instrument. Seriously, you would think such a good school would have better instruments!

"Bella, it's not going to improve if you keep stopping. You only have a few more days to deal with it, so just tough it out? Please?" he pleaded with me. It made me feel a bit guilty, but the stubborn part of me said that he didn't know what it was like. He played piano; he could play any piano without a fuss. I had a more personal relationship with my instrument, thank you.

"But I _can't_, you don't understand!" I cried. He gave me another pointed look.

"You're so stubborn," he said flatly.

"I know."

His annoyed look washed away with a laugh.

"I guess there's no point in trying to continue today, then," he said with a sigh.

"Well, why can't you just practice your part while I sit and mope?" I asked jokingly. He missed it, though.

"Why do I have to do the labor while you sit there and do nothing?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Do you want me to dance around while you play so I'm not left out?" I asked sarcastically. His smile grew wide, but I cut him off before he could say anything. "Don't answer that."

His face fell a little and he pouted. He ducked his head and turned back to the piano in front of him. He started tinkering out a little tune with one hand. It wasn't anything I could recognize. It was an amusing tune, almost like a children's song.

"That's pretty, where'd you pick that up from?" I asked him. His eyes stayed on the piano but I could see his lips tugging up into another one of his brilliant smiles.

"I came up with it, it's just a little tune I thought of a week or so ago," he said plainly. It figures.

"Is there anything you _can't_ do, Edward?" I asked him, the sarcasm returning. He almost blushed. _Almost_.

"I can't whistle or snap my fingers, actually," he said. For some reason, Edward never understood when I asked him a rhetorical question. I scoffed at him.

"And I don't know how to make sushi, and I don't know how to draw a barn without taking the pen off the paper, and…" he kept trailing off with things he couldn't do while I just raised my eyebrows in disbelief at him. He didn't stop, so I quickly put my cello down and moved to the bench, placing a hand over his mouth to keep him from going on. The corners of his lips peaked out from underneath my hand, signaling that he was smiling. At least it shut him up.

"See, there _are_ things I can't do," he said as he pulled my hand away from his face, holding my hand as if it were fragile. It had been touchy-feely between us for a while, and every time it happened, my heart always sped up. Sometimes I wondered if he noticed it, since the familiar warmth always spread throughout me.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, trying to keep the lightness in our bantering. His thumbs started rubbing small circles along my hand, and I tried not to pay too much attention to them by focusing on the piano keys in front of me.

I played a few off-notes, trying to remember where the C key was. I recalled one of the melodies I had come up with myself, stashed away in my notebook in my room, and as I remembered the layout of the keyboard, I played one of them out. I even surprised myself when I didn't mess up or hit a sour note. Edward's eyes were downcast at my hand, still never letting go of his clutch on my other.

"Did you think of that?" He asked me when I finally stopped. I nodded.

"You're not the only composer in this room, you know," I teased. He let out a throaty chuckle.

"Play it again," he said. I obliged, placing my hands over the keys and repeating the melody. Only this time, the music seemed fuller. There was melody and there was harmony. I looked down the keys to see Edward playing simple chords along with my tune with one hand. It was almost counteractive, as if they music I played relied on his part. And it wasn't extravagant; they were simple three-note chord along with my one-note ones.

I ended softly, but Edward finished last with a final chord. I smiled to myself before turning my head up to look at Edward, who was looking at me with an intensity I hadn't seen before. It was as if someone had smeared a dark green charcoal into his pupils, giving off a smoldering impression. I was so close to him, and I could count the flecks of gold in his eyes. I couldn't break my gaze off him; I was almost in a trance. I bit the side of my bottom lip, mostly out of nervousness, but I needed to make some sort of motion to know I wasn't being creepy and staring at him. To my surprise, he let out a soft laugh.

"You're quite adorable when you're nervous," he said as if reading my mind. He brought his hand up to tuck my hair behind my ear, letting it drift on the side of my face. My face burned instantly.

"Who says I'm nervous?" I had meant to say it in a braver tone, but my stupid tongue gave me away, betraying me to a stutter and quiver of my voice.

"You just look like you are," his said in a low voice. I wanted to explode right then and there. My mind raced, was this the moment I had been anticipating since the day Edward had asked for more time? It seemed so… sudden. I wasn't about to turn back though. I'd been trying to remember the feel of his lips against mine for a while, but I wouldn't argue with a little reminder right now.

"Bella," he whispered, his face inching a little closer to mine. My eyes fell down to his lips, just a little further…

A loud knock on the door made me jump off the seat.

My heart wanted to thud out of my chest, and when I saw Edward's face, he looked like he had just recovered from quite a scare himself. We gave each other sheepish looks as I slipped off the bench and opened the door, ready to yell at whoever it was that interrupted.

"Are you almost done from the room? It's been ten minutes into my scheduled time, and I really need to practice, you know!" The guy who had interrupted us last time glared at me, pushing his glasses up further up on this face. This kid was starting to grit on my nerves, but I had to concede.

"Yeah, we're done. Just let us pack up," I said in a defeated tone. I cursed to myself, I had been so close!

Edward was looking at me sheepishly, an expression I returned. He started putting his music back in the folder and I hastily packed the pathetic excuse of a cello back into its flimsy case. We walked out of the room, me pushing past the annoying jerk with an unfriendly bump into his arm. Edward saw and laughed.

I was about to walk back to my room in the opposite direction of where Edward was heading off to before he grabbed my arm and spun me around.

He leaned down and pressed his cheek against mine to whisper in my ear.

"Still not the right time, but soon enough," Edward assured me. My heart thumped loudly inside me and I felt the blood pounding in my ear. At the same time, I had to smile. He kissed my cheek lightly before he pulled away, smiling down at me then walking to his next destination.

I know it wasn't very much, but it was promising, and it was a start.

* * *

"I still say you sneak into her room and put some broken glass in her bed, the god-awful witch deserves it," Alice said as if she hadn't just insulted someone. I lifted my gaze from the book I was reading and gave her an incredulous look.

"I would love to Alice, you know that. I need to prove that she did it first."

"Well, I think you should tell Anne about how nasty she is, she can look into it. I think they need surveillance cameras in the teacher's offices."

I snorted. Ever since Alice had seen me puffy-eyed on that fateful day, she'd been coming up with any kind of evil scheme to get back at Tanya. I admit, they were all enticing and something I'd definitely love to try out, but all paper trails would lead back to me, and I didn't have a counter-argument just yet. I just needed to plan carefully, to make sure I could get to her say out loud that she'd done it. Hell, she was smug enough, I'm sure she'd love to take all the credit for her diabolical plan.

"Whose office is being put under surveillance?" a familiar voice asked from the door. Much to mine and Alice's surprise, Rosalie had decided to come by today. I'd been meaning to ask if Rosalie had any dirt on Tanya, and now was a perfect time.

"Nobody's yet," Alice said, "but I think after what happened to Bella's cello thanks to one certain hag named Tanya, they definitely need more security around here."

Rosalie's eyes widened as she looked at me. "What happened to your cello, Bella?"

I launched into the familiar story yet again, all the while watching Rosalie's mouth form into an "O" shape, true shock overcoming her.

"No freaking way, what a- ugh!" Rosalie said unable to finish her statement, but I had a few choice words of my own to fill in the blanks.

"But there's no way I can prove she did it. I need to get it out of her, and soon," I added, "I was kind of hoping you'd know something on her that might help."

Rosalie's face turned into an evil grin- it was a good sign for me. I grinned right back at her.

"Tanya's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Last year, she had a little… 'accident' during one of the drama rehearsals. She was in the pit band for our production last year, and she thought she was so hoity-toity and above everyone else. We were standing around during break and she got up on the stage, walking a little too close to the edge… she should've looked where she was going cause when I turned around, she was screaming and on the floor under the stage." Rosalie said with a laugh.

I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth in surprise but I couldn't help but laugh right along with Rosalie and Alice.

"It's what she deserved, anyway, but there wasn't but 4 people there including me who saw. She'd probably deny it if anyone asked her now, clumsy cow," Rosalie added.

"At least I haven't fallen off a stage… yet," I said between laughs.

"True, but that's about all I have on her. I haven't really socialized with her, but I hear she's got some mean parents. Last year during recitals, my friend caught her mother yelling at her after the concert band performance. At least that's what she said; sorry it's not much help. But hey, if you want any evil plans to add to whatever you've got now, you can count me in. I live to break people's spirits," she added in evilly. Alice and I looked at her in surprise.

"Remind me not get on your bad side, Rose," Alice said. We all laughed.

* * *

I was getting extremely tired of being without my cello. I just wanted it back already, and as Friday crept on me, I was eager to hear from Anne. She said it would be ready by now, but it was almost three in the afternoon and still no word from her. I trudged back to my room from having lunch with Alice, having given up hope. As I fished for the key to my room, I fiddled with the knob only to find it open already.

"Hello?" I called as I swung the door open. Alice had taken off to the studio, so she couldn't have been back already. As I peaked in, I saw the most gorgeous creature sitting on my bed with a notebook in his hands, reading it intently.

"Breaking and entering, are we?" I asked Edward. It was truly a nice surprise to see him in my room. He looked up from the notebook, _my_ notebook as I noted, looking a little sheepish.

"Not if I have a key, then it's just entering," he quipped back.

"What're you doing here? Wait no, _how_ did you even get a key?" I asked curiously.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" I said a little too quickly, causing me to blush. Edward only smiled wider.

"Good, because I have a surprise for you," he put the notebook down on my desk before reaching behind my bed to grab something, something big, and a little weighty. My eyes widened and I could've squealed from excitement as I recognized my cello case emerging in his grip.

"My baby!" I cried as I ran to it and hugged it tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward rolling his eyes at me, but smiling at the same time.

"How-?" I started asking, not sure which question that was bubbling from my mind to ask first.

"I caught Anne in her office and I noticed it sitting next to her, she said she was about to run over and bring it for you but I told her I wouldn't mind doing it myself. Then I found Alice who told me she was meeting you for lunch, but she gave me her key anyway and told me to make myself comfortable."

I reminded myself to kiss Alice when I saw her.

"You must have been awfully bored in here, we had a long lunch," I teased, my grip still on my precious cello.

He shrugged. "Not so much, I busied myself, I guess," he said with a nod to my notebook. When I glanced down at it, I recognized it as the one I kept my compositions in. I instantly blushed.

"I'd love to hear them someday, they're really magnificent," he said, eyes still locked on the notebook.

I scoffed at him. "They're not all that great, nothing like a Cullen composition," I said with a smirk. He laughed.

"Well, are you going to just hug your cello or are you going to take a look at it?"

I instantly loosened my grip to unwrap my cello. It was like opening presents at Christmas but knowing what was inside because you peaked the night before. Finally free of its shell, I held it out to admire.

The body was glossed over, varnished to perfection. The pegs were pitch black with an intricate design on the knobs, and the strings were resonate and gave a warm sound when I plucked them. Even the bridge was brand new, and the golden fine tuners gave it a perfect finish. It was like nothing had even changed about my cello, but I knew on the inside, it was ten times better.

"Wow," was all I could manage to say. I was mesmerized, but Edward's eyes were focused completely on me.

"It definitely suits its owner, now," he said in his low voice.

"Definitely worth having it terrorized, too," I said.

"Want to try it out?"

As much as I wanted to right then and there, I honestly wanted to let myself be surprised later. I shook my head. I gingerly placed my cello on the ground before attacking Edward in a gigantic hug. Hey, after Wednesday, I think I was allowed to do this much.

His body reacted in shock, but instantly loosened and he wrapped his arms around me. His hand stroked my hair, and I relished in his feel.

"Thank you," I said almost breathlessly.

"I didn't do anything, though," he retorted.

"Yes you did, you gave me the best surprise I could ever ask for today."

I heard him chuckle. He didn't pull back, so neither did I. I stayed in his embrace for as long as I could. It only lasted a few moments before he pulled away to look at me.

"I like this new-found spontaneity you have," he said with a chuckle. His hand lifted to move the hair in my face behind my ear.

"You started it," I teased.

"Did I, now?"

I nodded matter-of-factly.

"I don't recall such a thing," he said in a mock-hurt tone.

"Oh yes you did, it all began when you did the 'I'm-mesmerizing-you-with-my-eyes' the other day," I said without thinking. Crap. Internal smack to the forehead. Edward looked surprise, a hint of smugness in his expression. Then slowly, his eyes turned serious again, melting into mine. My breath caught in my throat as I saw a glint of unrestriction in them.

"You mean, like this?" he said in a hoarse whisper. It was a little arrogant, but my stomach turned at what he was trying to lead into. Not wanting my voice to betray me again in this situation, I merely nodded. "What else?"

Crap, again.

"You… you…" but I wasn't able to get it out. Edward's hands had travelled to either side of my face, his gaze still hard upon me. He hovered a few inches away from me again, but this time I was determined I would get what I wanted out of this today. Right now.

"What, Bella?" he whispered down to me, and the sound of my name escaping his lips sent me over the edge. I didn't care if it was still bad timing, this was getting hard to resist. Without even another thought, I pushed myself forward and closed the distance between us.

I wasn't chaste about it, the way he had been the first time our lips touched. To my own astonishment, he didn't seem to be taken aback by my sudden motion, like he was expecting it. He pressed back, showing he was just as eager about this as me. His hands travelled through my hair, and instinctively I wrapped my own arms around his neck. He pulled back after a few seconds, my face turning to a pout for a millisecond. His lips felt _too_ right against my own.

I waited for him to react, bracing myself for disappointment. But none came, instead he smiled at me.

"I guess you can blame me for starting that, then," he teased. How cheeky of him. "I was wondering when I'd be able to feel that again," he said as his hands fell to my sides, pulling me back to him again. He buried his face into the crook of my neck, his nose skimming along my shoulder. I didn't even know how to react, but I didn't move. It was far too enjoyable. Definitely worth waiting for.

"So that's it, then?" I asked. I didn't get a verbal response, just a "hmm?"

"And what was so imperfect about Wednesday that prevented… _this_… from happening then?" I needed to work on wording myself properly.

He laughed against my skin. "I thought it'd be wiser to wait until you weren't about to tear apart the loaner cello, who knows what all that pent up frustration of yours could've led to."

_Oh, I had a few good ideas…_

"You're so anticlimactic, you know," I said. He lifted his head and places a soft kiss to my lips again. I almost whimpered when he pulled away again.

"No, just completely crazy for the beautiful girl in front of me."


	13. Accidentals

**A/N:** I just wanted to throw in a fluffy chapter before making progress with the plot, because this was the vision I had when I started writing the story, so you can imagine the fun I had writing it. Enjoy and review!

* * *

If anyone asked me about me and Edward, I wouldn't know how to explain it. Our relationship was definitely on a whole new level, one very much to my liking, but it was as if we didn't need words to clarify it. Alice, on the other hand, was overly ready to tell anyone that we were Colburn's newest hot item. Had Edward and I been pieces of furniture, it was Alice's mission to make us look appealing enough to people to buy. But I had to let her have her fun; I was in way too blissful of a state to care anymore. It was quite subtle between us, of course. But even in the slightest motions, like quick kisses on the cheek goodbye, and genuine smiles from across the room (sickening, isn't it?).

It was an overcast autumn Saturday, but all events were a bit off-beat. Edward had left me pouting when he said he had an extra lesson today with one of his professors, so I wouldn't see him until afterwards. Alice had Coppélia rehearsals today and invited me to come watch her after she saw me cooped up in our room. I opposed at first, saying I had homework to busy myself with but she tugged my hand, so I brought my work along with me.

The theatre was quite big, bigger than I'd anticipated. I hadn't played in any hall like this, back in high school we were forced into the little theatre that only sat about 70 or so people. This hall had rows upon rows of seats, and noting that one of my own recitals would be in this hall made me queasy. I took a seat in the second row, just far back enough to watch Alice. I buried my head in my work, occasionally glancing up to see Alice twirl and move beautifully on the tips of her toes. My own feet felt her pain.

I was disturbed from my concentration when someone big and bulky came and plopped themselves next to me. When I looked up, it was Emmett. He was smiling down at me. I hadn't really had a conversation with Emmett without Rosalie there, and even then she did most of the talking. But somehow, I felt a safe presence with him. He was one of those teddy bear types- easy to get along with and not a care in the world. His smile was infectious and I returned it kindly.

"Hey Emmett, what're you doing here? Trying out for Coppélia?" I teased. He gave a hearty laugh.

"Nah, I'm the head stage craft manager. I help build all the sets, or well, boss everyone else around to build them."

"I thought you were in percussion?"

"I am, but they asked me to help out with stagehand stuff at the beginning of the semester, so I figured why not. Plus, it means watching Rose on stage more often," he said with a gleam in his eye. Him and Rosalie were the polar opposites of Alice and Jasper; they didn't mind being too affectionate in public while the latter were pretty private. Both were equally uncomfortable to be a third wheel with.

We talked for a little while longer, which was nice. Emmett made everyone around him smile. Not that I needed to widen the permanent grin on my face as it was. When we finally fell silent, Alice's scene came, and we both watched intently. It was the scene where Swanilda sneaks into Dr. Coppelius' house to talk to Coppélia.

I was instantly becoming aware of just how jealous I was of Alice. I've been kind of klutzy my entire life; was it so much to ask to be able to put on a pair of cute heels or ballet slippers without tripping over myself? Life was cruel, and Alice was proving it to me. But inside I knew that I couldn't ever be mad at Alice for that, she was meant to dance.

I was pulled away from my gaze at Alice by a small, mousy girl at the end of the row we were sitting at. She was taking in a sharp breath of air, rubbing her feet with her pink ballet slippers in the free hand. She wasn't far from me, only about two or three seats away. She noticed my staring, at which she blushed deeply and smiled apologetically before mouthing a "sorry" to me. She was the only person I've ever met to have blushed harder than me. I smiled back at her reassuringly. She seemed grateful for that.

Alice's scene finished, at which she clamored down to us. She acknowledged the shy girl with a smile, at which she gave a small "Hey, Alice," and I noticed her voice was a little high-pitched.

"So what did you think?" she asked Emmett and me. I gave her the biggest smile I could muster.

"You were great, the story's actually kind of cute when you see it instead of having it explained to you," I said. Emmett nodded his head.

"Of course, it'll look better when you have a proper balcony instead of a ladder there," he chimed in. Alice rolled her eyes playfully. Then she turned to the girl behind her.

"What about you, Angela? What do you think?"

The girl looked up, surprised at having been acknowledged.

"I've already told you how great you are, Alice, or do you just like it when I inflate your ego?" she said, smiling as Emmett and I laughed and Alice just stuck her tongue out to the side at her.

"Oh, by the way guys, this is Angela. She's the premiere ballerina this school has ever seen. Angela, this is Bella," she said as she pointed at me, "and Emmett," then pointed at Emmett.

She gave a small wave. "Hi." She was incredibly shy, I wondered if she and I could have a blush-off contest in the near future.

"Whoa, ballerina? Usually we just get dancers here, not actual ballerinas. I bet it's tough on your toes," Emmett commented.

"Sometimes, I mean, ever since I was eleven my toes have been permanently blistered," she said as the three of us scrunched our noses in pain, "but I absolutely love it."

"Wow, so are you in Coppélia, too?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm playing Coppélia, which is funny because she hardly does anything except sit in the window and read and stare off, but I absolutely love her," she started to look a little nervous. Alice looked at her sadly, suddenly, but then turned back to me.

"I'm done for the day, are you ready to head out?" she asked. I nodded my head and started to pick up my books to shove them back in my bag.

"I've still got some props to set up, so I'll see you guys around," Emmett said as he pushed himself off the chair. We waved goodbye to Angela and headed back to our room.

"How come she looked so nervous all of a sudden? She seems sweet," I said to Alice as soon we got out of the theatre. Alice grimaced a little.

"She's awfully shy; it's so weird considering she's so close to being a real ballerina. She's way better than anyone else at this school. She auditioned before I did, and the director told her she basically had the part down for Swanilda. But then she started having a panic attack, saying she couldn't be on stage in front of so many people with all the pressure on her having the lead. She practically begged her to be Coppélia. She said she just wasn't ready to perform in front of so many people, which is why she's here. She has to practice getting rid of her nerves," Alice sighed at the end.

"So she gave you the part instead?" Alice nodded. "That's too bad, but in a way it's good for you. Now you get to spread your wings. Give her time, she'll break out of her shell." I could've smiled at the phrase I used, having incorporated it from Edward who constantly said it to me.

"I guess, I don't know. You know me, I like seeing people do their best."

"Sometimes, I think you're the next Mother Teresa, minus the white outfit. I know you'd have to go with pink or red," I said jokingly, shaking my head slightly. Alice laughed, but didn't object.

* * *

The rain finally fell in October, and I wished it wouldn't. It was still a little humid, and now with the onslaught of a bit of water, it was warm and wet. I was stuck inside the air conditioned buildings as much as I could, the feeling definitely wasn't pleasant and for once, I wished the Washington weather was travel-sized so I could've brought it here with me.

I was lounging on Edward's bed while he was practicing the next night. I still hadn't finished the book about Debussy, so my nose was pressed into the book. I never realized that Debussy was also a critique, and I usually found myself nodded in agreement with the things he said. Edward of course, was completely smug and insisted the next book I start be about Mozart.

"Thoroughly enjoying it, I see," he commented over the music. I didn't bother looking up; I just stuck my tongue out at him childishly over my book.

"You're too far away, you know," he said gently. At first I pretended to not hear him, not wanting to appease him so quickly.

He noticed I wasn't stirring at his words, and his tone took on one of warning. "Isabella…"

I smiled into my book. "Hmm?"

"I need inspiration to keep practicing, otherwise I'm going to tear this music to shreds."

"Want me to read some of the book out loud for you? It's quite ingenious. Did you know Debussy won the Prix de Rome?" I sneaked a peak at Edward over my book, only to smile smugly at his exasperated expression.

"Come here," he said sternly. I finally caved in, rolling my eyes as I set the book down on the bed and went to join him on the piano bench. His face lightened up into a brilliant, triumphant smile.

"Okay, I'm here, now what?"

He continued to smile at me.

"I seem to have hit a roadblock and I can't think to write any new stuff anymore. Inspire me."

I scoffed at him; how on earth was I supposed to do that?

"You have perfectly good repertoire right here in front of you," I said matter-of-factly.

"It's boring, how can you not be tired of it?"

This time I smiled at him.

"I'm never bored of anything you play," I laid it on him thickly, batting my eyelashes insanely. Instead of the annoyed look I was hoping to get out of him, he just smiled back.

"Alright then, annoying, boring, repetitive music it is," he said as he turned back to the keys and started playing. Truth be told, I probably knew all his music for the semester inside and out by now. It was getting quite dull. I scowled at him for a second before a devilish idea hit me. I decided to try a different tactic this time, so I slid my arms around him, holding onto his side. I felt him perk up at my touch. One more point for me.

My lips found their way to his jaw line and started planting soft, subtle kisses along it. My ears attuned to the change of tempo Edward was playing at, but still focused on playing. A smile played on my lips; he obviously wasn't going to budge.

Carefully I ducked to move underneath his arm to shift into his lap, my arms coming up to wrap around his neck this time. My plan was kind of working, every move I made, the music changed. That was the only thing that was responding to me. He continued his act of not acknowledging my close proximity, his eyes closing lazily with a pleasant expression on his face. My lips came in contact with every inch of skin- his cheeks, chin, and forehead. Each time, he played something a little different. I was getting tired of the repeated melody. I pressed my lips fully on his, my hands grazing through his hair.

The music changed completely now, something sweet and playful. I felt Edward smiling against my lips, then he finally stopped playing altogether, his hands coming down gently on my waist. All chasteness was gone now, and if my skin could glow, everyone within a ten mile radius would be blind now.

But as soon as it had happened it ended.

"Whoa!" came a voice from the doorway. It scared me so badly I jumped in Edward's lap, which set off a chain reaction and as soon as I blinked, Edward and I slipped off the bench and hit the floor with me still wrapped around him. Instantly, I flushed.

"Oh my, are you okay, Edward?" I asked him as he let out a hiss of pain, rubbing his head. The same voice started howling with laughter, and I recognized it as Jasper. I shot him a mean glance, but then Edward started laughing too. I was the last time chime in.

"You two need to come with a warning label," Jasper said as I blushed again. Well, that crossed off another thing I had to do before I died- get caught making out with your boyfriend by his roommate.

"I didn't even hear you walking in," Edward said, untangling himself from me and standing up. He held out a hand to me, which I took and straightened myself out.

"I just came to get my books really quick, and then you guys can have the room all to yourselves again. Try locking the door with a deadbolt next time, though," Jasper laughed as he dove for his backpack and grabbed a couple of thick books.

"Ha, ha," I said as he walked back out the door. I reminded myself to get back at him next time he and Alice were locked away in our dorm.

Edward notices my cheeks were still pretty red even after Jasper left. He let out a small chuckle and pulled me to him. I scooted myself closer to him but made no move to wrap around him again, still too embarrassed.

"It could've been worse," he said reassuringly. I looked up at him in mortification.

"Don't remind me."


	14. Brillante

**A/N: **This is the longest chapter ever! That's why it took me so long to shell out :) I'm apologizing in advance if it seems a bit rushed, but I wanted to get everyone done as quickly as possible. And this was definitely the cutest chapter to write, too. Anyway, here you guys go. Remember to review and enjoy!

* * *

I could tell Tanya was trying her best to be indirect about what she did to me; she never spoke to me again but I knew every time she noticed me, a triumphant smile would be plastered on her face. It didn't faze me though; I knew I had plenty of time to bust her. The question was, how?

Alice suggested I go back to that Jessica girl and squeal it out of her, but I couldn't. For all I knew, she was just an innocent bystander in this predicament. I would let the idea sit in my head for a while before I do anything irrational.

The month of October was quickly turning into November, which brought on two things to fuss over. The first being Alice's ballet, and the second- Visitation Day. I didn't have to worry about it really; Charlie said he couldn't make it, that the weather in Washington would be a nightmare to fly in. I didn't mind it too much; he was probably only saying it to avoid the sunny rays of LA. Either way, it might've been a bit awkward. I made occasional phone calls to him, but they all but lasted 2 minutes tops. Charlie and I weren't big talkers, but that's just how we are. But even in those two minutes, I still hadn't told him about Edward. It would be a story for another time, I decided. I still had the nerve to work up, considering I'd never introduced him to a boyfriend before.

But I wouldn't worry about that now; I still had plenty of time. I was trying to hype Alice up, who had gotten a case of cold feet as the month approached quickly. Jasper especially tried his best to reassure her, but her overactive imagination was getting the best of her. I sympathized with him.

"Hey, Bella," I heard Jasper's voice call out as he found me in the courtyard again. I gave a warm smile back at him as he took a seat across from me.

"What brings you here today?" I asked. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out how to say what it was he wanted to tell me.

"I've been worried about Alice; I mean it's not like her to get so nervous. I guess she's taking it all in too fast and doubting herself."

I nodded in agreement.

"So I've been wanting to do something nice for her on Halloween."

"You mean you haven't been doing nice things for her this whole time?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I mean something extra special, to make sure she knows that she'll be amazing up there, so that's why I need to ask you for a favor," he said, giving me a tentative look.

"Of course, what do you need me to do?"

"Um, maybe if you could… stay the night in Edward and mine's room on Halloween?" he asked quickly, and if I didn't know better he could've blushed right then and there. "I swear nothing's going to happen, it's just that I need the entire night to make my plans go smoothly."

"Its okay, Jasper, I understand! I'll ask Edward if it's alright, I'm sure he won't mind," I said trying to reassure him. On the inside, I was doing somersaults.

"Oh you don't have to, I already asked if it was okay with him and I think he's just as excited about it as I am," he perked up, but as soon as he caught my expression he almost shouted, "Not like that, Bella!" I only giggled.

"Okay, okay, Jasper. It's not a problem at all. Does she know?"

"Nope, not a clue, so I need you to leave around eight at night, make up an excuse like you're going on a date with Edward or something, but leave the door open." He must have planned this out a long time ago.

"I can do that, what're you planning for the night anyway?"

"Wouldn't you rather hear about it from Alice? She likes to make things grander than they are, and I know she tells you everything anyway," he said, we both laughed.

"True, I guess I can wait."

* * *

We must have been in someone's good graces because Halloween was falling on a Thursday this year. The dorms were strung with all kinds of decorations- hanging lanterns, streamers, signs of all sorts- truly the works. The decorations had gone up two weeks before the day. Not even my old high school ever went all out like this. It was a pleasant change.

When Alice wasn't too busy freaking out about the upcoming opening night, she was freaking out about finding the perfect costume for Halloween. I so badly wanted to tell her that she wouldn't need it, but I kept my mouth dutifully shut.

"What are you dressing up as?" she asked me Wednesday evening as she was rummaging through her stuff. I hadn't planned on dressing up; actually I still wasn't planning in it. I hadn't truly participated in Halloween activities outside of handing out handy since 5th grade.

"I'm dressing up as Bella Swan, isn't that frightening enough?" I joked as Alice gave me a pointed look.

"Ha, ha, so funny you are, Bella, but I'm not letting you out of this room tomorrow without a disguise."

"Aw, come on, Alice. I haven't done this stuff in a long time, and I'm sure nobody else is going to be dressing up. We'll look like idiots, childish idiots," I tried my best to whine.

"Rosalie is dressing up," she said simply. Both my eyebrows flew up.

"As what?"

"Minnie Mouse," she said grinning. I rolled my eyes. Rosalie looked dashing in red.

"Well you and Rose have fun dressing up, but you can count me out. I don't have a costume anyway," I thought I had won this argument but the glint in her eye told me otherwise; I let out a sigh.

"Bella, I'm a _dancer_. You're talking to the queen of costumes," she said before attacking the heap of multi-colored fabrics again. I don't know how she hauled all this stuff to school when I could barely manage regular clothes. She was smack-dab in the middle of the pile when she pulled out a lilac, tulle skirt I immediately recognized as one of her ballet tutus. All the color drained from my face.

"There is absolutely NO. WAY. on earth am I walking out of this room in that. On Halloween even!" I huffed at her. Alice pouted at me.

"Come on, Bella! Lighten up a little; didn't you ever want to be a ballerina when you were younger? It's not even that bad, I have leotards and a top you can wear too, and I'll even let you borrow my ballet slippers too," she crooned the last part at me hoping it would hook me in. I did want to be a ballerina when I was four, but of course, my two left feet always prevented that dream from becoming real, even on Halloween. I pursed my lips, lost in thought of how just one night would be harmless. And ballet slippers were my one true weakness; I absolutely adored the way they looked when put on.

Alice was looking at me anxiously, taking in my silent contemplation for approval. She almost squealed with delight and clasped her hands together, already divulging to find the perfect outfit for me. I let out another sigh and let her have her fun.

Alice finally picked out an ensemble for me ten minutes later, handing me black sleek leotards that ended below the knee and surprisingly fit me, and another black and purple, thin-strapped top that was far from what a real ballerina would wear. The colors meshed into an intricate design, and a small sequin was stitched in the middle of each pattern. It was flattering, well, it would have been on Alice. But on me, it was different, not bad, but cute enough. It definitely made me feel like I was ten years old again. Alice just beamed with pride at her finished product.

"I don't have to wear this for long right? I mean, only for like an hour or so?" I asked Alice, hoping she would let me off easily.

"Bella! Don't be such a spoil-sport. You only have one class tomorrow, what's it going to hurt if you just wear it all day? Not everyone around this school is all serious business, some of the professors dress up, too," she tried convincing me.

"And how do you know that?" I tried to catch her in a lie.

"Rosalie and Emmett," she said with a grin. I scowled.

* * *

I tried getting out of the costume bit the next day, I was too anxious for the night. Edward had told me that Jasper and Alice weren't the only two who had something planned for the evening, and it only made me dread even more. My only hope was to try and slide by Alice before she could catch me. Of course, I failed, and stormed out of my room in a frilly tutu and ridiculous ballet slippers, which I had to admit, were quite comfortable if I had been able to take the wooden blocks out of the toes. At least I knew the ballerina secret, now.

Much to my surprise, and more annoyance, was that Alice had been right; almost everyone looked like they belonged to a circus. I saw standard witches, goblins, zombies, mummies, ghosts, and of course- clowns. I had to laugh to myself at the sight; this school was certainly peculiar and was immensely glad I was a part of it. I walked a little more confidently to class.

I was complimented quite a lot on my costume, I guess I was the only one who didn't look like I was about to rip off someone's head. Well, except for Tanya, who I had the utter pleasure to see wearing a cheerleading uniform, no doubt from her high school. She caught me looking at her too, and the all-too-familiar sneer fell on her face as she saw I too, wasn't dressed as a monster of the night. She wasn't going to falter my mood; I had way too much to look forward to tonight.

I hadn't seen Edward all day and it had become 7:45 already. I knew Edward was punctual, but I couldn't help but feel he might have forgotten or gone somewhere and was sidetracked. It was ridiculous, but I had become accustomed to seeing Edward at least once a day. Not that I'd become a leech on him; it just happened to fall that way. I had already told Alice that Edward and I had plans, so she was sulking and freaking out at the same time now. I was trying to console her as best as I could, and as soon as the clock hit 7:59, I almost jumped for joy at the sound of a knock on the door.

"It's open!" I nearly yelled, and Alice's scowl became more prominent. Edward walked in, and my heart nearly exploded. It was amazing just how seeing him for the first time today made me realize how strikingly attached I'd grown to him. It was frightening, but still amazing. He grinned crookedly at me but hung close to the door, his eyes transfixed on me. I didn't want to look away, but I had to say goodbye to Alice. I reassured myself that she'd be beaming by tomorrow morning.

I ran across to give her a giant hug, which she returned loosely. Even at her most desperate times, Alice was still loving.

"Don't worry Alice, I'm sure there's going to be a nice surprise for you tonight, "I couldn't help but suggest as Alice's eyebrows flew into her hairline. I hurriedly grabbed Edward's hand and made our way out of the room before Alice could stop me and ask. Once the door was closed, I nearly pounced on Edward, my arms slithering around his neck to pull him down to my level to place a kiss on his lips. Truly I had been missing that the entire day.

"What was that for?" he asked, loosening my death grip on him.

"I missed you today, is all," I couldn't believe I was being so truthful. I probably had inflated his ego so much so far, what could a little more hurt?

"Did you, now?" Oh yes, he was definitely playing it up. Before I could make a witty remark, he took my hands from where they were resting on his neck to hold me out; I had forgotten I still had on my silly costume, and now Edward was sizing it up. I had a feeling he was going to tease me until the end of time for it. I noticed he hadn't dressed up, something I had figured. Great, now I was going to look like an idiot.

"It was Alice's idea, okay, no jokes!" I said before he could get a word in.

"You'd have made a beautiful ballerina," he said with a smile on his face while I blushed.

"Not as graceful as one, though," I mumbled. He chuckled.

"As long as I get to catch you," his voice dropped an octave and my heart patted in its cage, threatening to rip out of me. How did he still have this effect on me after all this time?

"Do they really have wooden blocks in the toes of them?" he asked, looking down and nodding towards the slippers I had on. I grinned at him, slowly trying to rise on my toes in true ballet fashion. Why I did, I'll never know. I suppose the part of me that liked to show off was itching to come out. I succeeded for a second, silently screaming at the wincing pain in my toes but I still managed to get all the way to the tip. Edward's face looked as if he was feeling the pain I was in. Of course, I was only able to last two seconds on my toes before I stumbled forward right into Edward's arms. I tried to balance myself as he held me upright, laughing.

"You did that on purpose."

I rolled my eyes, laughing at his accusation. Right, because I absolutely love falling all the time. One thing was for sure- never again will I try that.

We walked down the stairs hand in hand, Edward stopping me right before we got out the doors. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long piece of fabric. I eyed it warily.

"Excuse me, what do you plan on doing with that?" I asked him. He only smiled grandly at me.

"You trust me, right?" My mind noted how he meant to say it as a statement rather than a question. Maybe he knew me better than I thought.

"I do, but-"

"Then you'll believe me when I say I won't let you fall or get hurt and you'll just turn around so I can blindfold you, right?"

"That is the most dangerous thing you could ever ask me, you know," I said. I wasn't keen on blindfolds, and to add to the fact that I had no idea where he was planning to take me wasn't helping. I wanted to see step by step where we were heading.

"But you trust me," he said softly, his eyes pooling into mine. The dim light made them seem darker. If I could ever pull myself out of his trance it would be too late. I agreed, not fully aware of what exactly I was doing.

He gave me another smile before turning behind me a little. He gathered my hair and pushed it to the left side, bringing the cloth in front of my face and tying it securely behind my head. Everything was pitch black, and I was hoping if I could avert my eyes downward I could at least see my footing, but of course, I couldn't. I felt a slight change of breeze in front of my face, the only thing I could interpret it to be was Edward's hand waving in front of me to see if I could see or not. I laughed, it was so childish.

Satisfied I couldn't see, he readjusted my hair to fall behind me, and I felt his lips press lightly on the back of my head. I smiled to myself, a slow feeling of confidence erupting in me. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

He led me out the doors, minding me of steps or cracks with both of my hands in his. He stopped short, his hands leading me to touch something metallic and cold. I could only decipher it as a car. He opened the door, taking my hands back in his and told me to duck my head. I obliged and was soon sitting on a slick seat. He buckled my seatbelt and I waited patiently for him to open the door on my other side and get in. The engine purred to life, and I felt myself jerk forward a little from the car going in reverse.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Nope, just hold tight for a little. It's kind of a long ride," he said reassuringly. His hand intertwined with mine in my lap, and I couldn't help the smile that crept on my face. I hoped he didn't notice, from what I could feel of the speed of the car, he needed full attention to the road.

"I wonder if Alice is in a better mood yet," I wondered out loud.

"From what Jasper told me, I think Alice is going to be in an _extremely_ better mood by tomorrow," he said with a laugh. Visions of defilement in the room I shared with Alice filled my head, and I scrunched my nose. I could only _imagine_ how wide Alice's grin will be tomorrow.

"Please don't remind me," I said.

"Not like that, Bella, jeez. Jasper's a gentleman," he said with a scoff. I laughed.

"Gosh, you men are so quick to declare how pure and PG-rated your intentions are," I said sarcastically.

"That may be so, but you're the one assuming everything."

"I am not! You both made it seem like… like…," but I couldn't finish my thought. My cheeks flushed again. Edward's velvet laugh filled the car and his thumb was rubbing circles on mine. Suddenly I wanted to throw myself out of the car.

"He hasn't told me what he's planning for her anyway, just like _someone else_ hasn't told me where we're going!" I tried changing the subject.

"Patience," he said with another beautiful laugh, I huffed.

I finally felt the car halt to a stop after about half an hour later. Instinctively, I turned my head both ways to hear any sounds, but I couldn't make anything out. I felt the outside breeze hit my leg as Edward opened my door, taking my hands again and leading me out. My other four senses heightened at the loss of sight temporarily, and I could smell wet earth from underneath me. Sure enough, we stepped onto wet grass and climbed uphill. I made a note in my head to get a new pair of ballet slippers for Alice; I knew the ones I had on would stain terribly.

We walked for about five minutes until he finally pulled me to a stop, in the distance I could hear soft orchestral music. My eyebrows furrowed automatically as I tried to figure out where I was.

"Okay, ready?" he asked me as I shook my head furiously.

I felt the cloth fall away from my face and I slowly opened my eyes, ready to adjust to any bright lights. I blinked a few times, and took in the sight around me. Off in the distance a little was an amphitheatre lit up with stage lights. The stage had a half circle of chairs and music stands set up, and the people sitting in them were all playing a soft piece. The audience was massive; I'd never seen so many people in one gathering. That's what small-town living does to a girl.

"I didn't find out about this until the day Jasper asked if we could give him and Alice some alone time, and by then all the tickets were sold out. But we still have the best seats," Edward said softly in my ear. I didn't realize I was smiling like an idiot. So he had brought me to a concert in the park, only someone like Edward would think of that.

"I agree, this is the best seat," I said as I turned to him, my fingers latched onto his again. He grinned down at me.

He knelt down to sit, and when I looked down I saw a thick blanket covering the grass underneath my feet. Edward had probably laid it out while I was still blindfolded. I followed suit, the tutu around me flowed out and hid my legs. It only then dawned upon me how ridiculous this getup was for a setting like this, and was certainly glad I wasn't sitting down in the amphitheatre below us.

My head rested on Edward's shoulder and his arm came around my waist. Although the music was a bit faint, it was still audible, and it was really beautiful. Kind of odd, though, considering it was Halloween. Perhaps I'd just been expecting something spooky.

I took in a deep breath of air and closed my eyes lazily. The music was already taking me to another place, and images of shapes and colors filled my head. I thought of a color and shape for every instrument I heard, each fighting for dominance, just like the music.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward's voice said in my ear. I hated it, usually, when people spoke to me when I was trying to listen to music, but Edward's voice only let my thoughts go even more untamed, almost as if I was intoxicated.

"The music," I said, although he plainly knew that already.

"What's it like?"

"I wish I could explain it, but it's always too hard to put into words. It's like… being a drug addict and getting locked in a chemical lab, or you know how depressed, single women eat ice cream all the time… like being one of them and then having ten tubs full of rocky road in the freezer. Or like being on top of a hill with that special someone on Halloween," I smirked, looking up at him for a reaction. His face showed understanding of what I meant, a light smile playing on his lips.

"You're truly remarkable sometimes," he said as he let out a breath.

"Only sometimes?" I poked.

"The rest of the time, you're too busy being amazing," he said with a laugh.

The remainder of the little concert was truly nice, and it was just a little amusing that the orchestra played "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Toccata and Fugue," both being Halloween-like songs. Edward and I trekked back down the hill, and my eyes fell upon a silver Volvo parked by the street. Almost instantly, I reached for his pockets and fished out his keys, running as best as I could to the driver's side of the car.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" his voice only half-serious. I grinned mischievously.

"I haven't driven for almost four months; I need to refresh my memory! And besides, you drive like a maniac, even when I couldn't see, I was gripping my seat out of fear," I said as I hurriedly got into the driver's seat before Edward could object. Thankfully he didn't, he merely shook his head and climbed into the passenger seat.

"You don't know how to get back," he said.

"That's okay, I have my own little map right here next to me," I said brightly, leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek. He silently fumed and gave in and I brought the engine to life.

We arrived back at the dorms in a much longer time frame; I hadn't realized Edward drove so fast. He led me back into the building and I noticed my heart gave a big leap as I remembered that I was staying with Edward tonight. He swung open the door and pulled me along inside. My nerves were jumbling around inside me.

Then another realization had dawned upon me- I forgot to get my pajamas.

Oh, this was absolutely amazing. How could I have been so stupid? I silently huffed at myself, figured there'd be no shame in asking Edward for a shirt or something. But with the way the conversation had been earlier, he'd probably think I was suggesting something. _No, he won't, he'll clearly see that you forgot to bring extra clothes, stop thinking like an idiot!_

Edward had grabbed a couple of articles of clothing from an open drawer and then headed off to the bathroom, which was a big relief on my part. I suppose if I just borrowed his clothing without really getting permission, he wouldn't mind. Quickly, I dug through the drawer, pulling out a shirt at the way bottom. I slipped it over my head, on top of my own top and swiftly, yet intricately, took of Alice's purple top underneath Edwards. How I did it without strangling myself, I'll never know. Lucky for me, Edward's shirt fell past my thighs, so even if I just took off the ridiculous tutu and stayed in the leotard's I'd be comfortably set. I rumpled Alice's clothes in a heap and threw them in a corner and finally sat down on Edward's bed to remove my slippers. They definitely had gotten a little muddy and were a bit soaked, but I could probably just clean them for Alice and make peace.

I finally pushed myself to the middle of Edward's bed and sat cross-legged. My mind ran over the day's events; I had gone out in public in a tutu all day long. Back at home, the very idea was ludicrous, but here it was… playful. Almost carefree. I liked it; it was a sense of finally fitting in, which I never felt in Forks. I wasn't exactly a social outcast, but I did have a hefty list of things that I had experienced without a friend really being there. Maybe being here was truly where I was meant to be.

Edward finally walked out of the bathroom dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and… no shirt. My eyes roamed over his pale, chiseled chest and I tried my best to not make it noticeable, but my cheeks gave me away.

"It seems as if my shirt has mysteriously disappeared," he said with a nod towards me; I had almost forgotten I had borrowed one of his as I followed his gaze down to my own garment. I tried my best to grin through my flush.

"I didn't suppose you'd mind since I forgot my own tonight," I said as he made his way to the edge of his bed. I didn't make any motion to move; I wanted to know his reaction first. Instead my eyes fought to stay on his face and not back down to his chest.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you about that earlier," he said smiling sheepishly, "I didn't see you with any extra clothes and I meant to tell you before we left, but you just seemed too eager to leave."

I dropped my hand into my hands, this time hoping to hide my tomato red cheeks. "I'm sure you have such a _wonderful_ impression of me, now," I said sarcastically as I groaned. To my dismay, Edward only laughed. Then I felt my hands being peeled away from my face and a hand lifting my chin up to meet eye-to-eye with Edward's own emerald orbs. The color in my face drained only slightly as he smiled at me.

"No, I think you're a clumsy cellist with a knack for getting into awkward situations," he teased, but I knew he meant well by his words. I couldn't help but to laugh. Then slowly but surely, his face hovered only a mere millimeters away from mine, settling there as I breathed him in before he gently pressed his lips to mine. My arms instinctively flew around his neck, pulling him closer to me. He obliged, crawling closer and settling his hands around my waist. His mouth moved against mine for a few more blissful moments before he pulled away slightly to take in some air. I hadn't realized I was holding my own breath and suddenly oxygen was like sugar down my throat.

He smiled against my own lips before rolling off to the side, pulling out the covers from underneath him and me, throwing the top over both our heads. I scooted forward a little to lay back comfortably, my head hitting the pillow as Edward drew me closer to him. It wasn't dark enough, so I reached out from under the blanket to switch his table lamp off. As the room dimmed, my heart was suddenly lurching violently inside me, my stomach threatening to do cartwheels.

I could only barely make out Edward's face in the dark, my hand reaching up to trace his features. As my fingertips lightly touched the corners of his lips, I felt his hand enveloping mine, bending my fingers and pressing soft kisses on my knuckles.

"Its funny how this started out as a ploy to lighten Alice up, but I got the best end of the deal tonight," he said softly. I raised an eyebrow at him, although he probably couldn't see it.

"You seem awfully concerned about Alice, tonight," I poked. He chuckled lightly before moving closer to me to place another soft kiss on my lips.

"You're the only girl I'll ever be concerned about, Bella," he whispered. I couldn't say anything, my heart rose into my throat. Instead I wrapped my arms around him, desperate to snuggle against him as much as I could. My eyelids were already feeling heavy as every one of our limbs intertwined somehow, and before I knew it, I was off to dreamland, Edward right by my side.

* * *

Sleeping with Edward, in every literally and non-explicit sense of the word, brought us to a different level of closeness. I hadn't determined my feelings for Edward to be exceptionally running deep, but soon enough I found myself in a hole of emotions. Edward was too perfect for his own good and I'd never been in a serious relationship before. I wasn't used to this, even though being with Edward felt natural. I didn't have to pretend or act differently with him. It was just… comfortable. Even the smallest of kisses managed to shake me up, as if we kissed for the first time all over again. It was everything a romantic movie promised- fireworks, head spinning, blood level rising, and gag-inducing. I was becoming a sap, and I couldn't stop myself. I didn't _want _to stop myself; I wanted to stay by Edwards side, idly playing with his hand in mine, every waking second of every day. And the realization of these feelings scared me senseless, and brought me to a higher level of happiness. One that I never thought was possible.

Alice, as planned, was on cloud nine the entire week. I hadn't really bothered to ask her what Jasper had done for her that night, but she did figure out that Edward and I were in on it. She wasn't upset as I thought she'd be for keeping a secret from her, in fact, she even hugged me tightly when I walked back into our room the next morning (clad in her tutu, might I add).

That being so, Alice was definitely more approachable the entire week, and I was practically dancing with excitement as the opening night of Coppélia was creeping upon us. Alice had asked if I could volunteer myself to hand out programs about half an hour before the show, and being the good friend I am, I agreed. Unfortunately, I didn't know that the job required a uniform. Lucky for me it was all black, so I simply chose my concert attire- a sleek, spaghetti-strap black dress that required no help or assistance from Alice.

Friday came quickly, and I found myself getting ready at five o clock. I slipped the dress on as fast as I could before heading into the bathroom to see what I could do with my mop of hair. This was a moment I definitely wished I had Alice here. My hair fell in their natural waves, and I had no real experience with a curler to define them, so I didn't even risk the chance. Instead I opted to scrunch them up a little with hairspray- it didn't do much but it would do.

After about another half hour of primping, I finally headed out to the big theatre to meet Alice. She had been in dress rehearsal all day, and Edward had promised to meet up with me later, so my trek was lonely. I walked hurriedly to the double doors and into the hallway, going through another case of double doors and was met by ballerinas in frilly tutus and ballet music on stage. I found Alice easily, her hair being quite noticeable in a room full of blondes. I decided to linger back and watch rehearsal finish up. Alice never once noticed me until I called her when 6:15 rolled around and everyone was hurrying backstage to get into full costume. She ran up to me at full speed, squeezing me tightly.

"Wow, Bella, you look cute, and you didn't even need my help. It's a miracle!" she said. I swatted her arm.

"So I'm here, now where's my station?" I changed the subject on her. She pulled me back out the double doors to the hallway, situating me by the doorway as she swung it open.

"Stand here, and just make sure everyone gets one of these," she said, pointing to a bunch of large stacks of folded pink papers with "Coppélia" written across them in a fancy scrawl. "There'll be a few more people out here, but they'll come later."

As soon as Alice finished, there was a knock on one of the doors that led to the outside. Alice turned back to me with a smile on her face.

"First people to arrive, oh thank you so much for helping, Bella!" she exclaimed, bringing me into another tight embrace.

"Alice, it's no big deal!" I tried struggling out of her arms. The couple who had knocked were walking towards us, and it was my cue to hand them a program. The woman smiled at me, thanked us and went to take a seat.

"I have to go get into costume now; you'll be okay out here?" Alice asked me. I nodded with a smile.

"I think I got the hang of this job."

"Good, I'll see you later then!" she said as she bounced off to the dressing rooms.

I did my job dutifully, smiling brightly at everyone who walked in. Some I recognized from my classes, others were elderly people or parents of the dancers. At about 6:50, Edward walked in with Jasper. Both had definitely put effort into looking nice tonight, and I couldn't help but smile like an idiot as I noticed Edward had worn my favorite black shirt, his sleeves rolled up in his trademark fashion.

"Hey, Bella!" Jasper said, I could tell he was just as happy as Alice had been as was extremely proud of her. He had a small bouquet of roses in his hands, no doubt for after Alice's performance.

"Hey, I'm glad you two came a little early, I think you might need to save us some seats," I said with a nod towards the inside of the theatre. It had gotten pretty packed already.

"Yeah, I can see that, I'll see if I can find anything close to the stage," he said as he headed inside. I smiled after him before turning back to Edward, taking in the full sight of him. He was gazing back down at me, his eyes roaming all over my body. By the look on his face, I was extremely glad I had chosen to wear my dress tonight.

"You look beautiful," he said as his eyes made their way back up to meet mine.

"Thank you, you don't look too shabby yourself," I said, moving closer to place a small kiss on his lips. He lit up as he pulled away.

"I better go find Jasper; he's probably trying to beat down an old lady for front row seats. He's been bouncing up and down the entire time," he said with a shake of his head. I laughed and handed him a couple of programs.

"I'll see you in a bit," I said softly, not wanting to take my eyes away from him. Oh if only all these people weren't around. I went back to handing out programs for the remainder of the ten minutes.

As soon as I saw the clock strike seven, I dropped whatever papers were left in my hand on the table and headed in, making my way down towards the front knowing that's where Edward and Jasper would be. The theatre had dimmed, but after a few seconds of head searching, I finally found them in the middle of the second row.

I inched by people, careful not to step on anyone's toes and finally plopped down next to Edward, Jasper on his other side. He turned his head quickly to me and smiled, wrapping his hand around mine and threading our fingers together. Finally, the curtains pulled back and the audience clapped, but none clapped as hard as Jasper.

The ballet was sweeter than I had anticipated; Alice danced beautifully and Angela was the best doll-ballerina ever. I couldn't help but notice that every time the boy dancer, Franz, got too close to Alice, Jasper's knuckles would whiten as he gripped his seat a little more tightly. Edward and I only exchanged glances and silently laughed.

We went backstage to congratulate Alice and Angela briefly before leaving her and Jasper alone. Edward and I headed back to our rooms hand in hand.

The night had cooled down considerably, and I clung to Edward a little closer than normal to keep warm, cursing myself for forgetting a jacket. Edward wrapped his arm around me, bringing me right into his side. We walked in comfortable silence.

Sooner than I hoped, we were in front of my room again.

"Will you tell Alice I said congrats again for me?" Edward asked me and I nodded in response. He gave me one of his crooked smiles before drawing closer and kissing me with a little more than I had expected. He pulled away and I instantly breathed out; I always forget how to breathe when he does that.

His forehead rested on mine for a few moments before he whispered a goodnight to me, reluctant to pull away. I watched him make his way down the stairs before I turned around to the door to unlock it.

Just as I had jiggled the key and placed my hand on the knob, an icy voice hit my ears by the other side of the building.

"Hello, Bella."

A sense of dread that I hadn't felt in a while ran down my spine.


	15. Con Fuoco

**A/N: **Oh no!! Who could it be?? I'm sorry to those who thought it was going to be an ex-boyfriend, but all of Bella's ex's are too dumb to be found at a music school! Kidding kidding ;). Anyway, I know it's taking me long to update, but I'm spanning out my chapters so that they'll be longer. This one's over 6,000 words! Anyway, enough of my talking, get to reading! And don't forget that I love reviews, you guys are so wonderful, I swear. Enjoy!

* * *

"What do you want, Tanya?" I tried to keep the bubbling anger out of my voice as I turned around to face her. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. I wondered just how much of Edward and I's scene she'd seen.

She sneered at me, taking in my question. Then her face turned hard and serious as she took a step towards me, pushing herself off the wall.

"I just wanted to give you a warning," she said menacingly. I couldn't help but scoff at her.

"A warning?" I asked skeptically.

"Back off of Edward."

"And what if I don't?" I was surprised with my own daunting in my voice.

"If you value the fact that you're even here right now, you'll do the right thing and leave him alone. I could ruin you in a quick second, I practically run this school," she smirked at her own remark, almost as if she was trying to make herself believe it too. I laughed.

"Looks like you're mad at the wrong person, if you've got a problem, take it to someone who cares. It's not my fault Edward doesn't find interest in you anymore, but then again who could blame him? You use people to your own satisfaction then throw them away like garbage."

Tanya looked shocked at how much I had said, probably because she figured Edward wouldn't have told me so much about her but I wasn't going to hold back or spare her feelings. I was holding back enough as it was, any more incentive to shred her to pieces and I'd be all over her in half a second.

"I _love_ Edward, and he knows that. You don't even have half of what I could offer him," she said, her voice dropping low. My heart stung sharply. I wanted to claw her eyes out. I wanted to rip every strand of strawberry blonde off her precious head and make her regret saying anything. Instead, tears formed in the ducts of my eyes, but I held them back in my eyes. My vision glossed over from the moisture lingering, but I could still see Tanya's face brimming over with evil happiness. She'd finally broken me down. She broke me as soon as she said the word- love. Love wasn't an obsolete word to me; I only ever said it to those close to me. So in total, I'd never really said it. It was such a touchy subject, and here I was crying about it. I didn't want to be here anymore, but I knew if I just turned around and retreated back into my room, she'd definitely have the upper hand over me. I stood rooted in my place, quivering from anger and tears threatening. A moment passed, and luckily Alice and Jasper came bounding towards the room to my rescue.

"Bella?" Alice asked, taking me by the shoulders and looking me over. She didn't even acknowledge Tanya, who was being glowered at by Jasper.

"Come on, let's go in," she ushered me inside, throwing a nasty look over her shoulder to Tanya, who retreated. Jasper followed us inside, making sure to lock the door behind him. Alice led me to my bed, holding me as if I was going to fall over at any moment. As soon as I sat down, the tears finally spilled over.

"Bella, what happened?" Alice asked tenderly, rocking me back and forth. Jasper sat across from us, looking lost and wary. It was for this reason I hated crying in front of other people; it made them feel helpless and lost. I so wished I could just suck it up, or just lock myself in the bathroom right now.

"She… she…," I tried to form a coherent sentence, but what could I tell her? That she said she loved Edward, and it pushed me to crying? That didn't make any sense whatsoever, and it was stupid really, she had only said it to hurt me and to try and push me away. She didn't know the first basis of love and what it was.

But, who am I to know about love either?

The very question brought on a new wave of tears, and I noticed I was ruining Alice's dress sleeves.

"Bella…" Alice tried to get me to start talking again.

"She told me to leave him alone and… and then she said she loves him," I said quickly before I started sobbing.

"Oh, Bella… you know it's not true. She only said it to get to you," Alice tried to reassure me.

"I know, Alice, but I don't know why it's making me cry, I mean, it was so stupid how she was threatening me with social status here, but then as soon as she said the word it sent me over the edge."

I pulled away from Alice to hastily wipe my cheek. Alice took my face in both of her hands to get me to look at her straight in the face.

"That's how she gets to people, nobody loves Edward more than you do, and you know that."

"Alice!" I exclaimed, feeling the heat radiating to my cheeks again.

"What? It's true!"

"I don't want to talk about it, not right now," I said with a look towards Jasper. Not only would it be uncomfortable to talk about the mere subject of love, but with Edward's own roommate in the room? It wouldn't end well at all.

But true realization dawned on Alice. "You do love him, don't you?"

I looked at her helplessly, wishing I could answer properly. Yes, I cared for Edward with every fiber of my being, but could I daresay I _loved_ him? We hadn't even been together for very long! But still, the feelings I had for him were hardly on the surface. Being with Edward was becoming vital for me. I needed him constantly to remind me of his smile, his eyes, his hair, his _everything_.

"I can't talk about this right now, Alice. My mind's racing and I don't know what to think," I said as I wiped again at the last of my tears.

Alice, thankfully, dropped the subject, but I knew that once Jasper was gone it'd come up again.

"Look what I did to your dress," I said with a light laugh, trying to rub out the moist spot on Alice's sleeve. She waved my hand away.

"Don't worry about it, its seen worse," she said laughing with me. I finally turned to Jasper, who seemed to have relaxed considerably at the change of subject. I smiled sheepishly at him.

"Sorry for that, Jasper, I hate crying in front of other people."

He shrugged and smiled warmly back at me. "Its okay, Bella."

"Can I ask you for a favor, though?" I said as I bit my lip. He nodded. "Can you not mention anything that happened tonight to Edward? I mean, I don't want him to blow his lid about Tanya. I can deal with her myself." In truth, I just didn't want the L word being dropped in front of Edward before I had everything figured out. Jasper gave me another smile and nod.

"Thanks," I said with a sigh.

"I'm off, I never knew Coppélia could make someone so tired," Jasper said as he stood and stretched with a yawn. "Goodnight Bella, take it easy," he said.

"Goodnight, Jasper," I replied. Alice and I both got up from my bed, but as Alice went to walk Jasper out of our room, I grabbed my pajamas and slipped into the bathroom to change. I flipped the light open, glancing at myself in the mirror. My face looked horrible- completely tear-stained and my eyes bloodshot. I hated this look. I tore my eyes away from my reflection and changed quickly. I turned the sink on to scrub the remains of tears off my face, the cool water felt like a relief to the hot tears from earlier.

When I walked back to my bed, Alice looked at me tentatively from her own bed.

"I'm sorry I ruined such a good night for you," I said, down-casting my eyes. I felt shameful over my own stupid problems that I'd completely forgotten that Alice was ecstatic. But she only shook her head at me.

"Don't be, Bella, you're my best friend. Just say the word and I'll shove a ballet slipper up Tanya's-"

"Alice!" I cut her off quickly before she could finish her statement, giggling.

"What? She's pure evil! She needs to be put in her place!" I almost forgot Alice resented her just as much as I did.

"That doesn't help," I said disapprovingly.

"I know, but it would make me feel better," she said with a laugh. Then she turned serious again, "are you sure you don't want to talk about it? You were pretty upset."

I sighed, flopped down on my bed on my back.

"I don't know what came over me. I just wanted to rip her to shreds, as soon as 'love' came out of her mouth."

"Do you love him, Bella?" she asked me again.

"I don't know, I care for him a lot. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me," and in truth, he was. "How long did it take you to realize you loved Jasper?"

Alice smiled with a glow. "Two months."

"Two months? That's it? You guys must have been in fate's good hands."

Alice shrugged. "I wasn't hesitant about it, it just clicked in my head one day and the next time I saw him, I just said it. It didn't feel wrong to say it either, and his face was _priceless_," she said with a giggle. I just gave her a pointed look, but she continued. "The point is, when you realize it, you don't have any inhibitions. It just feels right to say it."

"You sound like a really bad chick flick, Alice." But all I got was another giggle.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I groaned internally before mumbling a goodnight and rolled over in my bed.

I didn't fall asleep right away; my head too filled with the evenings events. I was fully aware that Tanya couldn't possibly love Edward. With that reassurance in mind, the only question left was- did I?

My eyes drifted shut after about ten minutes of repeating the question to myself, but it was only to be met by a fitful sleep.

* * *

The next day, however, Edward greeted me with a bright smile- no trace of having heard about the spiel with Tanya. I didn't plan on telling him; I knew internally even if I edited it out, somehow it would end up a little too uncomfortable for me. Instead I put on my best smile for him.

I worked practiced myself to death over the course of the next weeks; we had a lot of work to do from all the excitement of the past holiday. We only had about four weeks left to rehearse, and then the final week of the semester would include every recital planned. Some were simultaneous, which disappointed me a little. I wanted to see everything- every play, every concert, every dance recital, and every solo. My recital nights were on Tuesday and Thursday. Ensemble's big concert was on a Tuesday night, which meant that _everyone_ would be there. Thursday I'd be performing both in Chamber and Solo, and out of the two scheduled days, I was more fearful of Thursday.

In all of my hard concentration, I forgot that Visitation Day had been creeping up, too. I didn't take it into consideration, though, until Edward informed me that his parent's would be flying in to see him. Oh, and that he was planning on introducing me to them.

"_What_?!" I nearly shrieked at him. We were nearly the end of our rehearsal on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It wasn't as if I was opposed to the idea, but maybe if he had given me a little more time to actually let that sink in…

"It's not that big of a deal, Bella, they'll like you," he said in his simple tone that made me want to scoff.

"I couldn't have at least a warning about this??" my voice was still three octaves above normal.

"They're not getting a warning, though. They're finding out about you tomorrow," he didn't even meet my eyes as he continued to scribble on his music. The color drained completely from my face as my eyes went wide.

"Oh, that's just perfect. I can just see how that's going to play out tomorrow. 'Hello Mr. & Mrs. Cullen, it's such a pleasure to meet you! Oh, who am I? I'm Bella, your son's girlfriend that he neglected to tell you about,'" I said in mock tone, this time getting a hard look from Edward.

"Would I introduce you to them if I thought they were going to hate you?"

I nodded vigorously, Edward only glared at me.

"What if I said this would mean a lot to me if you just bear through it?"

"Then I'd say you're not playing fair," I said, crossing my arms across my chest with my cello still in front of me.

"Please, Bella," he pleaded with me softly. I couldn't exactly pinpoint why I didn't want to meet his parents in the first place, I suppose it just meant that things were moving along in our relationship faster than I expected. But it wasn't fair, not to him. I knew he'd gladly oblige me and meet Charlie had he bared the weather and came himself and he wouldn't make one fuss. I was being totally unreasonable.

"Alright, fine," I said defeated. His face perked up at my surrender, and I reasoned with myself to put on my best behavior and impress his parents tomorrow. We finished our time together with a big grin plastered on Edward's face.

* * *

I stood close to Edward, trying as best as I could to hide our hands clasped together but every time I stepped a little closer, I heard him chuckle and show forth our intertwined fingers in front of us. It was about 4:45, and his parents had said they'd arrive a little before 5:30, just before dinner was to start. The sun was hiding behind gray clouds, but its warmth was still evident as it poured down upon me. But it wasn't the sun that was making me break out into a beaded sweat. I had done the best I could to reassure myself that his mom wouldn't throw an outburst in the middle of conversation and call me a no-good tramp who's corrupted her boy, or that she didn't persuade the panel of judges to let her son in to mess around with girls. I winced internally at the thought.

"That's them," Edward bent to whisper to me and pointed to a taxi pulling up with a couple sitting in the back. My heart pounded.

Edward let me go to greet his parents as they stepped out of the car. His mother was a very beautiful woman, her light brown hair fell in waves around her heart-shaped face, almost like mine but more refined. Her face was aglow at the sight of her son, pulling him into a death-grip hug that might have given Alice a run for her money. His father came around from the other side and gave him a fatherly-type hug and pat on the back; a gesture I found quite endearing that I couldn't help but crack a smile. They were the picture perfect family.

My slight daydream quickly faded with each step they took towards me, Edward engaging his mother in conversation about everything he'd been up to (leaving me out, of course) since he'd last seen them. When they were only a couple of steps away from me, his mother's eyes finally met mine and I took in a deep breath before plastering on the best smile I could ever pull off.

I couldn't make out his mother's expression, for some reason I feared her reaction more than his fathers. I knew mothers to be more protective over their sons, just like fathers over their daughters. But, I could infer so much as that she wasn't exactly annoyed by my presence- a good sign for me.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella," Edward said after a few moments of her taking me in. I noted how he only introduced me as just Bella, not "his girlfriend" Bella. But still, Edward stood almost loyally next to me. I breathed out the politest "hello" I could.

"Hello, Bella, I'm Carlisle," his father stuck out his hand to grip mine as a warm smile, that made me one hundred percent positive that Edward inherited his from him, graced his face. At least I had won him over without speaking much. His mother, on the other hand, furrowed her eyebrows at Edward.

"Is she…?" She trailed off, only to be cut off by Edward shaking his head vigorously at her.

"No Mom, that was someone else." Almost instantly his mother's tight expression lifted and her face lit up in a grin.

"Oh, well then! Hello, dear, I'm Esme, it's absolutely fabulous to meet you! You'll have to forgive me, Edward never mentioned you so I had absolutely no idea who you were," she said in a rush. Maybe I had been wrong, maybe I shouldn't have doubted Edward when he said I didn't have to worry.

"That's okay, he didn't tell me I'd be meeting you today until yesterday, either," I said in my kindest voice, his mother let out a light laugh.

"Let's not stand out in this cold weather, come on, inside!" she ushered us in.

Dinner was relaxed, and Edward's parents were so easy to talk to. Both took a deep interest in me, and while I fidgeted and tried to make myself sound self-confident enough to explain my passion towards music, Edward gripped my hand in assurance under the table. I looked up to see Edward looking at me intently with a grin on his face, and instantly I had to smile back. For a half second, I totally forgot his parents were in front of us. I was thankful as control took over me to keep from pouncing on him right then and there.

Carlisle and Esme, as they insisted I call them, asked us to give them a tour of the campus, which we gladly obliged. The cafeteria was beginning to get a little too crowded. We headed out and made our way first to the smaller of the three concert halls & recitals the school offered. We explained where our recitals would be held, the mere thought making a lump form in my throat. I almost forgot about what was to come within the next two weeks.

For about half an hour, we took them around to our classrooms, gardens, dance studios, everything except the dorms. I had a feeling being there in Edward's room with his parents would make me feel a little awkward, I'd be too comfortable and their eyebrows would probably rise a bit. No, best to stay in my comfort zone.

Finally, we ended up in the courtyard of the school. It was nearing dusk now, and what faint sun that shone through the clouds illuminated the flowers planted around the blocks of cement made to utilize as benches.

"I have to admit, the school looks prettier when you're actually in it," Esme finally commented, "it certainly looks bigger, too."

Edward and I both beamed at her at the same time, totally unintentionally, at which Carlisle laughed.

"Edward, why don't you show me around some more and let your mother enjoy the scenery?" Carlisle spoke softly, but with a determination in his eyes. Edward nodded and stood to follow him, grinning down at me before walking away. That left only me and Esme.

I looked up to meet her gaze at me; she was smiling with her entire face, as if I was a newborn baby. It made me a bit nervous, but I tried returning her expression as best as I could.

"I've never seen him so full of life before," she spoke softly. I bit my lip, not wanting to say something in case I might give something away. After I noted Edward hadn't introduced me as his girlfriend, I assumed that it meant that we shouldn't be so full of PDA around his parents, minus the hand-holding bit under the table. We may have been obvious, but I was desperate to convince myself that we weren't. I dropped my gaze to my feet, hoping to hide the redness in my cheeks that were threatening to leak. I tried my best to hide my obvious affection around his parents the entire time,

"He seemed a bit reluctant to come here last year, and he seemed a little on the sulky side when he came back after the semester ended. It was sad to see him upset, and all he told us was that he'd made a friend who didn't end up being who he thought she was. He just locked himself away and practiced his piano all day, of course, the music was always bittersweet," she chuckled as she said the last part.

I tried to imagine Edward in solitude in a room, his face not showing his wonderful smile and his hands not forming music that hurt, not bringing joy like it did to me when he played. I couldn't picture it perfectly for some reason. Either I couldn't make out his face to place onto the imaginary canvas in my mind, or the setting was wrong. A sullen Cullen was something I'd never want to see. Suddenly, a surge of anger coursed through me as I realized who had been the one to cause him such pain. Along with the anger, I felt a rush of wanting to run to Edward and wrap my arms around him, protect him from the pain the world could bestow upon him.

"I wish I could say just how thankful I am to you that you brought him out of that, Bella."

This time I looked up to her; her face was heavy with the weight of her words and I tried my best to smile at her, to show her that I'd never let anyone hurt her son like that again.

"So when did all this happen?" Her tone turned light again and I internally cursed. I guess we had been obvious. There was no use in denying it, and she certainly didn't seem upset by it.

"Umm…a month after school started?" my voice quavered, although I don't know why I said it as a question. Esme laughed softly.

"Just don't break his heart, Bella; he cares so much for you. If only you came with a glass encasing…" she laughed again, this time I joined with her.

"I won't, I'm not like the other girl he told you about," I said, totally forgetting that she didn't know very much about Tanya. She didn't press on the subject, instead just giving me a heartwarming smile.

"Thank you."

She shouldn't be thanking me, if anything I should be thanking her. It was acceptance into her good graces, and I felt like a heavy burden was lifted off me. Edward was right. Meeting his parents wasn't half as bad as I thought. In fact, I was rather glad I did now. Esme held me in her good graces, thinking I pulled Edward out of his slump when in truth, he pulled himself out. All he needed was a little coaxing out though. I found all aspects of Edward in his parents- his father held his physical aspects, his mother his inner character. Thinking of how Esme described Edward during his return visit home was like imagining Esme in his place. It was sad to think about, so I brushed the thought away.

But a new feeling inside me sparked- one that I wasn't sure how to react to, but filled me with extreme happiness.

Love.

"Did you enjoy the view more?" Edward's voice broke my thoughts before I could stray any more on the subject they lingered on. He spoke to his mother but his gaze fell upon me, and I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to prevent myself from running up and wrapping my arms around him. Close enough though, he came and sat beside me, cradling my hand in both of his- in front of his parents. The gesture, I only assumed, meant that the talk his father had given him had been quite well. I didn't falter this time; I let him hold my hand publically.

"I did, until the sun ran away," Esme said pointedly. I hadn't even noticed that the sky was darker now. She radiated warmly towards me as she saw our interlocked hands.

"Well, kids, I guess we should be heading out now, I'm sure you're both tired of having to lug us around your school the entire day," Carlisle said with a laugh. I saw Edward roll his eyes, but joined in laughing.

Half an hour later, we waved goodbye to Edward's parents as the taxi drove them away. Edward hadn't let my hand go since he latched onto it, and hand-in-hand we trekked back to our dorm building.

"Did you and my mother have a nice talk?" he asked as we strode through the double doors.

I nodded my head. "She asked if I was after your talent or your good looks. I told her it was a tossup but the good looks were definitely outweighing the other."

Edward's smooth chuckle rang in my ears. "I told you they weren't completely evil."

"Not at all, quite the opposite," I said under my breath, but I knew Edward had heard as a smug grin washed over him.

"I suppose that leaves one more parent to meet, then." At that, I gave him a hardened look.

"You have two weeks to accomplish everything you've ever wanted out of your life. I can't make guarantees about how my dad will be like," I said. It was better to be honest about it, I didn't know what to expect out of Charlie since I'd never had experience with his before. Best not to make promises right now.

"You should call him in advance, you know, forewarn him," Edward said, the calm still in his voice.

"No! Not fair, you didn't tell your parents until they saw me with you, I think this is the perfect revenge," I said defiantly. In truth, it was fair. The fear I had felt before meeting his parents turned into embarrassment afterwards.

"Fine, fine," Edward grumbled defeated. It was my turn to smile smugly.

We finally reached my room, and in our usual tradition, he bid me goodnight with the most glorious kiss. Instead of turning around to head back to his room, he bent a little lower, his mouth hovering next to my ear.

"Thank you; you don't know just how much that meant to me."

I felt the tug at my heartstrings again and all I wanted to do was hold him. He placed a soft kiss on my jaw line before pulling away. He smiled his lopsided smile before retreating. I didn't want to part with him, no matter how late it was. Before he could even take the first step down the stairs, I finally found my voice.

"Wait, Edward." He spun on his heel and looked at me, his eyebrows crinkled. Without an exact plan, and not knowing how much it could work, I fumbled for my key and quickly swung open the door. Alice was on her bed, reading a magazine. As soon as the thud of the door opening hit her ears she dropped it from her hands and looked at me.

"Alice, do you mind if Jasper crashes here tonight?" She gave me a confused look, too, before shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess why-?"

"Okay, good. He'll be here in five minutes," I said as I hurried to grab my pajamas off my bed. Better to be over-prepared than lacking. Not that I minded sleeping in Edward's clothing…

I hurried back outside, hoping Edward hadn't left yet and thankfully, he stayed right in his spot with his foot on the first step of the stairs, his confused expression still on his face. I hadn't even bothered to think of the fact that he might object to me staying with him tonight, but I wasn't going to have any of that. It was my own need I was feeding into, even if he made me sleep on the floor. I needed to be close to him, to figure out my own state of mind.

His face lightened as he saw my sleeping bottoms and tank in my hand, replaced by a wide smile. That was a relief; at least I knew he wouldn't object now.

I met him by the stairs and we descended down. We reached the landing and as we reached his door, he fumbled for his key. The door swept open, and ironically, Jasper was lying on his bed with a magazine in hand, just like Alice had. I snickered internally, making a note in my mind to tease Alice about this later.

"Hey, Jasper, change of plans, you're staying with Alice tonight," this time it was Edward who completed my idea verbally. Jasper, though seeming confused, brightened up and moved off his bed. Edward was a beat ahead of him, tossing him his own flannels as Jasper grabbed his key and headed out.

"Whatever you do, make sure to clean it up afterwards," he teased. Edward groaned at him, mumbling a "shut up" and I did what I do best- blushed beet red.

"Well, that made him happy," Edward snorted. His face turned to me, and my stomach did the rollercoaster thing it did when he usually looked at me in a certain way. I was here, with Edward finally, and I felt completely nervous. I wasn't _planning_ on anything happening tonight, my innocent intention was honestly just to be around him. The need to wrap my arms around him the entire day was left seriously unfulfilled, and maybe that's what drove me to this. But one thing was certain; I wasn't putting myself in a situation I couldn't pull out of.

Almost as if reading my mind, Edward closed the two feet of distance between us, his arms encircling me. The touch was like ointment on a burn, like ice against fire. I felt a pool of calm break over me. I felt… right.

My arms wrapped around him automatically, relishing in his simple touch. I rested my cheek against his chest, drawing in a deep breath, making sure every scent that came off him was inhaled. The past weeks had been doing a real number on me, making my heart swell and beat and do all kinds of irrational things, all in reaction to Edward. It wasn't fair; my heart wasn't playing by the rules.

My mind finally fell on the heavy word that popped into my mind when I was talking with Esme. Love.

It was like trying to absorb something strange and new, like living in black and white and someone finally came and splashed shades of red and blue into your world. The new elation in me made my heart beat fast, but I wasn't ready to voice everything just yet. As much as the timing seemed perfect, I was too afraid. It was too soon, and I knew, I just knew it had the potential to end badly. So for now, I'd keep my mouth shut. But I know it won't last very long.

Almost as if on cue, Edward broke through my reverie.

"What are you thinking about?" I smiled into his chest.

"That I need to get my pajamas on," I said, pulling away slightly. Edward released me and I headed for the bathroom to change.

"You know, you're free to use my shirt again. You didn't have to drag your pajamas along," his voice rang from behind the bathroom door just as I was pulling on my shorts.

"It got too cold with just that on," I lied as I walked out. My eyes fell on Edward, who had on the exact same attire as the last time I stayed. I smiled, but his face seemed to have hardened a little.

"You were cold?"

Figures he would be upset over that. I rolled my eyes and shook my head playfully at him, walking over and sitting directly in his lap.

"How could I ever be cold around you?" I said, barely above a whisper as I leaned in to kiss him. The corners of his mouth curled up against my lips and his arms wove around me.

"So, why the change of sleeping quarters?" he asked as he pulled away far enough to speak. I almost scowled at the loss of contact, but then registered his question.

"Can't I just want to stay with you tonight?" I said as I shrugged. He gave me a wary look, clearly saying he didn't believe me. I sighed.

"I don't know, I've just been feeling deprived all day, I didn't want to be alone tonight," I admitted. It was the truth, but only edited. He seemed satisfied, though, and pulled me along as he sank back into his bed, lowering me until my head hit his pillow. He lied on his side, arm swung over my hips while I was lying on my back, having to turn my head to look at him properly. Not tonight, I wanted to etch every detail of him into my brain forever. I flipped over onto my side until I was in a comfortable position to wrap around him again. He only chuckled, but kept his arm draped on me as I buried my head in the crook of his neck.

"That must have been some talk you had with my mother today," he said softly in my ear. I wondered how much I could admit his mother said.

"Mmm, she put a lot of things into perspective."

"Like what?" Damn, looks like I'd have to take my chances.

"Just about how unhappy you seemed when you went back home last year," I said nonchalantly, placing a kiss on his jaw as if it would alleviate some of what I just said. To my surprise, he chuckled.

"I guessed as much, that's Esme for you, always the one to fuss over others."

"I see where you get it from then," I joked. "What about you? I think it's only reasonable you tell me what you and your dad spoke about since I told you my part." I opened my eyes to look up at him, but he was smiling serenely.

"Nope, that you'll never get out of me."

"Spoil sport," I muttered. He laughed softly, turning his head to press his lips against my cheek. A rush of heat flooded my face.

"Goodnight, Bella."


	16. Appassionato

**A/N: **I am going to apologize in advance for how terrible this chapter is. I'm warning you now- it's all filler stuff but I thought it necessary because I wanted this to draw out a little more, so I couldn't rush it. But I promise, next chapter will be way, way, WAY better and I'm working on it right now, too. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews you guys are leaving me. I have 174 or so altogether, which blows my mind, to be honest! If you guys to get to 200 I'll post ASAP! ;) How's that for a challenge? But I promise you guys will get something VERY good before Wednesday, because I'm leaving for SoCal on Wed. and I probably won't get a chance to right much (Can somebody say DISNEYLAND??) Okay, so enough of my ramble, read, ENJOY AND REVIEW (not in that order though! :P).

* * *

I was twirling around on a stage, the music of Swan Lake was faint but I just let the tips of my toes lead me. Actually, I wasn't even sure if my feet were touching the ground, and when I looked down to see if I was, I was wearing a ridiculously frilly tutu. Oh no, not Halloween again! I looked around; I was on a stage but when I looked to the front, I didn't see an audience. Well, better to humiliate myself alone than in front of someone. Suddenly, I was surrounded by an onslaught of animated alligators and hippos dressed in capes and tutus. I don't know exactly why Fantasia was invading my dream, but the next thing I knew was a slightly groggy voice calling my name, the pillow beneath me rumbling slightly under my arm. It was warm, and incredibly smooth.

"Bella…"

My eyes didn't open, but I was becoming more and more conscious of the voice. My mouth couldn't quite make it open to respond, so the only sound the escape me was a soft "Mmm."

The voice laughed. Oh wait, no it wasn't a voice, it was Edward. My pillow was Edward! I tried jerking my eyes open, but I failed. Sleep was still washing over me, so I clung on tighter, not wanting to budge.

"Bella, you need to wake up," I felt his warm breath by my ear, but not even the shiver it caused that ran down my spine could wake me up. I just let out another soft, sleepy moan in defiance.

"I need to get up," Edward protested. I found a little more strength in my voice and mumbled a "no," my hands feebly reaching up to find Edward's face. I touched his cheek, and instantly my fingers slid alongside from his jaw to his temple. It erupted another laugh from him and I felt his lips press gently against my thumb. I smiled contently to myself, but still made no move to open my eyes or get up.

"If you don't get up, I'm yanking the blanket off you," he tried threatening me, but it only made me jumble the blanket around me even more. Why couldn't he just let me have my way and sleep in for another… oh, say… three weeks?

"You wouldn't," I barely opened my lips to speak, but soon enough I felt the warmth that was Edward leave from underneath me and I tried to whine as best as I could. That is, until I felt the sheet around me fly off me.

I nearly shrieked from the sudden chill, and I shot straight up, my eyes only barely opening a millimeter. The light was too harsh to open them fully and only made it look like I was glaring at Edward. I could barely even see him; he looked like a fuzzy blur. I huffed, before falling back against the pillow and curling up in a fetal position. He'd have to drag me out of bed if he wanted me up.

I felt the bed shift underneath me and Edward hovering over me, his head bent to my ear and my brain could only register a few key, suggestive things he was whispering in my ear.

My eyes instantly shot open.

"Okay, I'm up!"

He laughed at me before pressing his lips against mine, but I instantly drew back, keeping our kiss to only a small peck. Edward gave me a confused look.

"Um… morning breath," I said, trying to keep my mouth away from his face.

He smiled and pressed his lips to my forehead. I reeled in the touched of him.

"There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom," he said, and I quickly hopped off the bed to brush my teeth. But as soon as I was almost to the bathroom, I turned quickly on my heel to face him.

"Edward, I-," I started, but I cut myself off as I noticed his eyes had been a little further down south than where they should've met mine. Then, a blush crept up on his face as he realized he'd been caught.

He'd been checking me out.

A wide smirk danced upon my face. A few moments passed before he finally caved in.

"Well, can you blame me? Look at how great your legs look with plaid pink shorts," he tried to turn the tables on me, but I didn't falter at all. I wasn't going to blush now, no way. But, merciful heavens, how his compliment made me shudder with delight.

"Behave yourself, Cullen," I warned him playfully. Thankfully he laughed, knowing that I wasn't upset by it. How could I be? He could eye-ogle me all day if he wanted.

As I closed the bathroom door behind me, I let out a low sigh. The wave of yesterday fell over me, but today I was certain. I love him. And I'd tell him. Even if he didn't say it back, or even feel that way yet, I'm going to tell him. Alice's words stuck in my head, "saying it just felt right." Well, if knowing it felt right, then saying it would be even better. The problem was, when? The Bella in me that wanted to run and hide her feelings started taking over. No, no I couldn't do that. I shouldn't hide my feelings.

Then I started plotting. I didn't have much to work with; the last week of the semester would be here after this next one. I wouldn't see Edward until after the New Year. I didn't want to wait that long, I couldn't possibly last. No, I'd have to do it soon. The feeling of knowing there was only two more weeks left here put a gaping hole in me.

I brushed my teeth quickly, then quickly made my way out to a still-blushing Edward. Trying to hide my giggle, I strode over and sat in his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and planting reassuring kisses all over his face, trying to chase the blush away.

"Nobody except me gets to blush."

He smirked. "That's because you're the only one who looks beautiful while doing it." I snorted.

"Smooth, real smooth. So what's on our agenda today, beside's practicing and studying ourselves to death?"

He pondered my question for a moment, and then shrugged.

"No idea, any suggestions?" This time I shrugged.

"How about Plan A starts with the both of us getting out of our pajamas," I said, totally missing the double meaning behind my words. Edward looked at me with widened eyes, but a smirk tugging his lips. My hands flew to my mouth immediately.

"No! I meant get out of our pajamas and into normal clothes!" My face flushed and I wanted to crawl under his bed and just die.

"Hey, you brought than one upon yourself," he said with a laugh. I swatted his arm. "I agree, though. I'll meet you by your room in twenty minutes." He lifted me off his lap, bending to give me a quick kiss and I grabbed my clothes from yesterday before I hurried my way out of his room, dashing up the stairs to my own room. I was thankful there weren't many people outside lingering in the building, I didn't mind being in my pajamas in public but I was pretty sure a few prying eyes would know that I had just came out of Edward's room in my pajamas, not my own. That was sure to cause some rumors I didn't want to circulate.

I pulled my key out of my pants' pocket, getting into my room as fast as I could. Alice was still asleep, and I realized I had neglected to see what time it was. I glanced at the clock- 9:30! On a Friday! I was going to kill him. Damn early bird!

Before I could make it into the bathroom, Alice jumped awake by the noise I was making, and she stared at me with wide eyes before getting up and attacking me with questions.

"Bella!" I looked at her through the bathroom mirror.

"What?"

"You're humming," she said accusingly. I hadn't realized I was, I'd been in too happy of a state to notice anything around me. Then another realization hit me.

"Where's Jasper?" This time Alice looked around, and indeed, the absence of Jasper struck her.

"Must've gotten up early to study. He's got a lot of it ahead of him." I laughed, I laughed happier than normal, and Alice only gave me another look.

"I swear those boys and their AM schedules…"

"Okay, Bella, now seriously. What is up with you?" This time I turned to her to give her a quizzical look.

"Why, Alice, I simply don't know what you're talking about," I said before turning back to the mirror to see if I could fix my mop of an excuse for hair. I couldn't shower; Edward hadn't given me enough time so I opted for simply washing my face and trying to manage my hair.

"Why are you so abnormally happy at this hour?" I only giggled- something I shouldn't have done.

Alice's eyes popped out of their sockets, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Bella! Oh, my god! You _didn't_, did you?"

"Hmm?" I looked up at her through the soap on my face, and then I gasped as I realized what she was thinking.

"NO! No, it's not like that! I just… am happier, that's all," I mumbled, splashing water on my face to rinse off the soap. Alice didn't believe me, so I retaliated.

"Hey, Alice, what did you and Jasper do the night before Coppélia, huh?" I asked snidely. Instead of trying to embarrass her, she grinned brightly.

"He had cooked dinner for us at his house, and he brought it over here. The rest of the night he played his guitar and sang to me, he even wrote me a _song_! It was so romantic!" she gloated and I smiled to myself; at least she left me alone for a few minutes. In true Alice fashion, she sighed in content and walked out of the bathroom, leaving me to get ready in peace.

I finished as fast as I could and actually took into consideration about what I was wearing. Just as I was pulling my legs through the pair of jeans I picked out, with Alice's generous approval, the door knocked. I quickly pulled up the pants and buttoned them before shouting "come in!"

Edward sauntered in, his expression mirroring mine and I could only flash him a grand smile. My eyes took him in, and clearly he had put a little thought into his own ensemble, too.

"You look nice."

"Thanks, so do you."

From my side, I heard Alice fake a gag before rushing towards the bathroom. I didn't mind her, my eyes were solely on Edward. I probably looked like an idiot staring the way I was, but I couldn't help myself.

"So, figure anything out while you were getting ready?" he asked me as I grabbed my keys and called a short goodbye to Alice. Oops, I hadn't really thought about it.

"It uh… slipped my mind while I was getting ready," I admitted sheepishly.

"Good, because I think we should go for a walk before starting on our work later," he said with a grin. I instantly raised an eyebrow at him.

"A walk?" I asked. He nodded confidently.

"Did you not enjoy our last walk?" he added in smugly, trying to feign a look of mock hurt. I smiled to myself as I recalled the night we strolled in the park. It seemed like so long ago, like a far off stepping stone into what we were now.

"I did, but-,"

"And that was only at night, too. Wait till you go in the fresh air of the morning," he tried to play it up exuberantly, but I only groaned.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just… go," I said, trying to hide the fact that I was definitely not a morning person in my voice.

To my own dismay, he'd been right. We walked along the pavement of the same park he'd taken me to before just a few months ago and in the glow of the sun, it was _gorgeous_. The lake glittered with the sun rising over above it, the trees swayed with the harsh breeze. LA weather was definitely something else, the cold bit my face but the sunrays shining through the overcast clouds were warm against my skin. It was an odd feeling, but delightful at the same time. Like being balanced out.

The morning dynamic was quite a sight to see in the park. There were children playing on the grass, joggers with headphones in their ears sticking to one side of the pavement, and just regular people with pets taking strolls. A few turned their heads at us; I suppose it would be a sight to see two young adults awake on a Friday morning walking in the park. The thought made me smile.

"You're unusually quiet," Edward's voice finally broke my reverie. We hadn't spoken more than two words upon stepping foot in the park, and I had since let my thoughts wander over everything. More so than that, I was afraid if I even opened my mouth, something might come out that I wasn't prepared to exploit. Best to just keep quiet until spoken to.

"I am?" I tried to hide the nervousness out of my laugh, but all I got was a glance out of him at me from the corner of his eye.

"Just a bit, something on your mind?"

"Can't I just be silent on a walk with my boyfriend?" I asked, trying to make the subject light. This time I got a full-on glare, then a laugh.

"No, you're not, actually. Should I be worried?"

I shook my head. "No, no. I don't know, I guess I'm just thinking too much to speak."

"Oh? What about?"

"Stuff," I replied simply.

"Like what?"

"Just stuff."

"Bella…" His voice was more full of concern than warning, and I knew I needed to stop keeping something from him. I let out a sigh.

"Okay! I don't know, it's just… finals are coming up, I'm scared. I can't mess up," I partially lied. I was worried about finals, and just the mere words brought on a sense of dread, but it was the furthest thought in my mind at the moment. Thankfully, he seemed to have fallen for it.

"You won't, you have nothing to worry about. I told you before, you can't ever fail at what you love," he said as he brought our interlocked hands up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on my hand.

"I suppose so," I said with more relief in my voice. I made a mental note of his words in the back of my mind.

"I know so. Want to head back and start studying to get you unnerved? I know I definitely could use some book time, too," he offered and I nodded my head. I felt a little more worry-free as we walked back towards the school, a smile etched on my face the entire time.


	17. Ardente

**A/N: **I'm going to shell out two chapters at once, because the original plan was to merge the two into one but I want to draw out as much as I can. Still, I hope you all review both parts! And another thing, I know a lot of you guys leaving reviews are pointing out grammer/sentence/word corrections, and I want to apologize right now for those. I'm working on this story in the middle of the night (since it's the only time I have lately) and without a beta. The only thing I have is my spell check on Word, which isn't much as it is. I'm trying my best to reread the chapter before I officially post it, but sometimes my brain is too ADD to focus, so I'm sorry! I hope you guys still understand what I meant to write anyway.

Oh and I'm going to be brewing up another story fairly soon, since this one's almost done. I know, I know! So sad! I think I have another two or three chapters after this. I'm also going to be working on Deliverance in Sin too since that one took an unintentional backseat while this story came up. But I hope for those who love love love lemon (and were hoping for it in this story, sorry to disappoint but this one is rated T only :() will enjoy what I'm brainstorming! Anyway, onto the story! Be kind & review please :-).

* * *

The days seemed to go by incredibly slow, studying was painful. Not only because my mind didn't want to register the things I was reading, but because I was restless. Edward, Alice and Jasper all had to force me into the library to sit and go over my work, and I wasn't very happy about it. Although each made it a point to help me and keep me company, Edward more than the others, I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction at their kindness. Alice had least to worry about, she didn't have to take a theory class but she assured us she had finals as well, just a tad bit different than us musicians.

To add to my already weighed down mind, Charlie was flying in the weekend before recitals. He desperately tried not to hurt my feelings when he said he didn't think he could make it to my big dates, but I was driven to get him here. I even checked on the police station to see if he could get away for a couple of days. Even though he being the chief of Forks didn't need to get it cleared by anyone else, I was ready to make up excuses from all points he might bring up. In the end, he reluctantly agreed, and part of me danced for joy while the other chewed her nails down in nervousness. I caved in a little and dropped a hint of a "surprise" that Charlie would have to prepare himself for when he arrived, but I didn't say a word beyond that, the last thing I said was to keep an open mind and leave the cop in Charlie in Forks.

Alice and I made a promise to keep the boys away the Sunday night before finals. We weren't going to touch our books, and our minds wouldn't be anywhere near tomorrow. It was pleasant, actually, to just be able to talk freely without strain with Alice that night. I'd never really been accustomed to the whole "girl's night" thing back at Forks. Even sometime during the night, Rosalie had joined us. Out of our little loose circle, she'd been the calmest; her only final besides the play she was involved in was a five minute monologue of her choice.

The three of us sat on the floor in between mine and Alice's beds, the little radio playing one of Alice's ballet CDs, since Alice's music was the only thing we could choose from, and a bunch of different boxes of candy littered about around us. Alice had made a trip to the cafeteria a little earlier and made note to grab a little something of each. I dove straight for the Skittles.

The topic of conversation had gone between the best moments during the semester, who had the worst teacher (I won of course, Alice's nose scrunched in horror as I retold the tale of the monster known as Von Edinburg), the evil filth of the school known as Tanya (which Rose had a few choice words about, too) and from there straight to Alice's favorite topic thus far- boyfriends.

"Ugh, Alice, I swear, you two are sickening sometimes, seriously vomit-inducing," Rosalie said with a disgusted look. Alice didn't seem to mind, though, she had the faraway look on her face that said she was clearly thinking of Jasper. I had to let out a giggle.

"You know, Rose, you never exactly told me how you and Emmett met," she retorted back. Rosalie only smirked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh, yeah? Try me!" Alice squeaked, shifting in her seat as if she was getting ready for a big announcement.

"Okay, well, when I was still at my old high school, I was in a drama troupe that did plays at this small amphitheatre in a park. It was like a casual Saturday thing, we'd pick plays that were short, only about half an hour long or end up making up stuff on our own. Well, one Saturday we'd gotten to the park a little late, and we were trying to set up as fast as we could. We were doing an original, some girl came up with romantic skit that I wasn't particularly fond of and I made damn sure she knew too, especially since she gave me the lead female. Anyway, so Emmett sees us setting up, but he's got ear buds in his ears and has no idea what's going on. He's just leaning against a tree and watching. He watched the entire skit, and every time I caught him looking, he looked like he wanted to punch something. Then finally, the last scene came where the 'hero' was supposed to kiss me, the next thing I knew, I was knocked out of the guy's arms and Emmett just scooped me up! I looked down and the guy was squirming in pain, and so I started slapping Emmett. He looked at me like I was crazy, like he thought he should get some big reward for saving a 'damsel in distress.' I finally yanked the stupid cord out of his ear and yelled at him that we were doing a play. I'd never seen him so red in his entire life!"

Alice and I were rolling on the floor with laughter at that point. Even Rosalie seemed to be gasping for air.

"Then how did you end up together?" I asked between laughs.

"Well, he was apologizing and it was only getting more on my nerves, because the only thing I was thinking was about how cute he was. I had never been so flattered in my life. So finally, he lets up, saying that the only way he could make it up to me was to have dinner with me one night. I knew it was more for his benefit than mine but I agreed anyway."

Our laughter ended with me and Alice going "Aww." We never had pegged Rosalie to be more affectionate than she needed to be, and any hint of humanity in her persona was always a pinpoint for us. I was starting to wish she'd stayed with us more often during the semester. Maybe Alice and I could trap her during the spring and never let her go.

"Any word of that leaking and I'll have both your heads," Rose added in after we'd finished cooing her to death. Alice and I both made an X over our hearts, matched with a devious grin.

"Did you pop the L word to Edward yet, Bella?" Alice asked me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rosalie's mouth drop open slightly.

"No, not yet. But… soon," I said with a smile.

"You know, I never thought I'd live to see the day. You really deserve a medal or something, Edward's as solid as steel," Rosalie said.

I shrugged, trying to come across as indifferent but inside I was sprouting fireworks.

"Guess it just takes one person to change everything in your world," I said. Both girls smiled widely at me, and I knew instantly they understood what I meant. It struck me to see how my two friends were so madly in love, a feeling I was deeply envious of.

"So, if not already, then when?"

"Well, I was planning on waiting till after recitals were over, you know, before we have vacation," I said. Both gave me a look of disbelief.

"That's kind of… far off… don't you think?" Rose said.

"It's only the week after this Thursday," I pointed out, "besides, with finals and everything, I want to say it properly, not in the middle of a busy schedule."

"No offense, Bella, but you shouldn't even be planning on _when_ to say it. If that's how you feel, you should tell him right away."

"I know, but it's the way I feel it has to be done. I've never said 'I love you' to just anyone, not even friends back at home. I mean, besides my parents and stuff yeah, but I've never said it to someone just like that. It still feels new to me, and I really don't want to blow it," I bit my lip in hesitation, waiting for an answer from my friends.

"I understand that, but I've told you before, when you feel it, you want to shout it from the top of the world. Don't hold it in, Bella, you might explode," Alice said with a laugh that I chimed in with.

"I know, and trust me, it will be soon."

* * *

My leg bounced nervously underneath my desk as I waited for Von Edinburg to finish passing out the 6 page exam that was labeled our final for the semester. He brushed past me and dropped one of the stapled stacks on my desk upside down. I waited for him to finish passing out the rest of the tests, anxiously chewing on my nails. Finally he returned to his table at the front of the classroom, and my fingers desperately itched to turn over the papers in front of me to get this over with.

"You have approximately one hour and a half to finish your 125 question exam. There will be no talking, and if I even so much as catch your eyes wandering off your own papers, I will not hesitate to shred your exam right here," he said, pointing down to the paper shredder at his feet next to the table. I internally shuddered; this man truly was cruel, even on the last day of seeing him. At least until next semester, but I kept my fingers crossed.

Von Edinburg opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening with a swoosh. I turned around in my seat to see Edward stepping inside the classroom, and a smile instantly lit up my face. He caught my gaze, returning my grin.

"Uh, Dr. Von Edinburg? I have a note from Dr. Sharpe for you," he said tentatively. I heard Von Edinburg give out a low, annoyed breath.

"Fine fine, bring it up here, boy," he said. Edward walked forward, turning down the aisle I was in and lightly brushed my elbow with his hand discreetly. I relished in his touch, watching him approach the monster and smiled even wider as he seemed to feign fright. He pursed his lips, holding on a yellow post-it note for him which he snatched rather rudely. I almost saw Edward cringe, and had to snicker to myself. I guess there was something that frightening Edward Cullen after all.

Von Edinburg waved him off, and he quickly spun on his heel. This time, he reached in his pocket before reaching my desk and brushed against me again, only this time I felt something graze under my arm as he walked away. I lifted my arm off the desk to reveal a folded white paper, having been slipped to me ever so sneakily by Edward.

How cute, passing notes!

"You all will remain in this classroom and not move on inch while I take care of this little issue. If any of you so much as breathe out of place, I'll make sure your test scores are affected by it, too."

It wasn't an empty threat. He slipped out of the classroom, and everyone sat frozen. Everyone except me. I unfolded the note quietly, hoping none of my classmates would rat me out. My eyes scanned the neat scrawl and a big goofy grin crept on my face.

"_I know you're nervous, but believe me, you'll pass this with flying colors. You know the music deep inside you, so go with what you feel. It's not as scary as he makes it seem. Oh, and for #74, put down 'Beethoven lost his hearing, this question is obsolete.' Trust me on that one._"

I laughed softly at how adorable the note was. I stuffed the note in my pocket quickly just in time to see Von Edinburg rushing back inside, grumbling about false alarms. I had to laugh yet again. Five minutes later, I flipped over my paper in front of me, eager to start the exam. My eyes skimmed the first question.

"_When resolving one 7th chord to another, it is often necessary to leave out one of the chord tones of the second 7th chord in order to avoid harmful parallels. Which of the chord tones in one of these incomplete seventh chords is most commonly omitted?_"

I closed my eyes for a minute and thought. After a few moments, I opened them up again and wrote down my answer.

I felt a little calmer after the first page, the test was somewhat moderate for me and I never lingered on a question for too long. That is, until I came to question 74.

"_In which voice would a 2-3 suspension most likely occur?_"

I hesitated for a while. I lifted my eyes off the paper to look at the professor sitting at his desk, watching like a vulture over the rest of us. I noticed some were breaking out into a sweat, literally, some were loosening their collars. Huh, I thought people only did that in the movies…

I didn't know if I should take my chance and put down Edward's so-called surefire answer. I knew the logical answer to the question, but it might have been a trick, with some pretense underlying in it somewhere. Weighing my options, if I happened to miss only ONE question, I could possibly afford to miss this one. I looked back down to my paper and jotted down Edward's answer.

I finished within the hour I had started. I nervously placed my test on Von Edinburg's desk, all the while he glared at me. I gulped rather loudly, taking one last look at him before turning around and heading out the door to my freedom. I let out a breath of relief. The worst was over- I didn't have to stress about anything else right now. I was… out!

With my newfound sense of happiness, I dashed off in the direction of my room to find Alice, or Edward, whichever came first.

* * *

The rest of the week sailed by smoothly. I was surprised to see Edward calm as ever Wednesday after his own exams. For a fleeting second, I felt a bit mad, I had sweated for over a week about my own tests, yet here was cool and collected Edward- not a care in the world. My arms were crossed in front of my chest as I walked him to his own class. He looked down at my stature and laughed.

"What?" he asked between laughs.

"I don't see how you're not the slightest bit nervous about this," I said, keeping my arms across me.

"Because I got enough studying done with you to last me until I graduate from here."

"You're just so sure of yourself, aren't you," I said with a slight blush. Why I was blushing, I don't know- I noticed I'd been doing it at the most random times lately and I found I was better not asking why. I suspected it had to do with dragging Edward around to study with me so much, and I felt a little proud of that fact.

He leaned down and kissed me, a little longer than appropriate in public, before smiling and heading into his class.

Charlie called me on Friday and told me he'd be arriving the next day. He set himself up in a cozy little motel not too far from the school, but still in need of taxi service. Edward offered to pick him up from the airport, but I objected; if he was going to get all macho-cop on me, the last place I wanted it to happen would be at the airport.

So on Saturday, Edward and I stood in the same spot we had waited for his own parents. I had to laugh a little at how familiar the scene was, except the tables were completely turned. The only thing that still remained was that I was a nervous wreck and Edward was calm and composed. I was started to get annoyed at this little ability of serenity that he could have at any given moment. At the very least, he could share some with me!

I finally spotted a yellow cab pulling up to the half-circle driveway and could barely make out my father's face, his expression totally giving off a sense of disgruntlement at having to be in such a dreary city. Same old Charlie, never one to like the hustle and bustle. It was striking just how similar and different he and I were. I stayed rooted to my spot, trying to tug my hand out of Edward's but he held firmly. Charlie finally got out of the cab, his scowl turning to a huge grin as soon as he saw me, then suddenly slight confusion as he saw the boy next to me.

"Bella! My baby girl, look at you!" he exclaimed, taking me in a big hug. This was unlike him, he was a rather hands off kind of guy. I awkwardly hugged him back, breaking free just in time before he really took the wind out of me.

"Hi Dad, it's great to see you, too," I tried to hide the question out of my voice. Charlie finally looked up to see Edward, who'd taken a step back and had a lazy smile on his face. His eyebrows furrowed at him and I saw Edward's mouth open to speak, but I just barely beat him to it.

"Dad, this is Edward," I said in the same fashion Edward had introduced me to his parents, keeping the title out. Charlie eyed him up, clearly going into protector mode and I almost rolled my eyes.

"Hello, Edward, I'm Chief Swan," he introduced himself to Edward, sticking his hand out to shake Edward's.

"Dad!" I almost yelled. Now was not the time for him to go around throwing the word "chief" around nonchalantly. But Edward, in true fashion, gripped his hand back and gave a good shake, clearly trying to make a good impression on my father. Neither seemed to have heard me.

"Hello sir, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I know Bella didn't mention me before, and I do apologize for that," he said most courteously. Oh, he was good.

"Actually, I did. Remember when I had a surprise for you, Dad? Well, surprise!" I said unenthusiastically. If some part of Charlie had hoped that Edward was only a friend that I wanted to introduce him to, it clearly came shattering down as a frown came across his face.

"Wait, so you two…" he trailed off. I shook my head vigorously before he could finish.

"Well, how about that. I send you to a music conservatory and you come back with a boy on your arm," he said, a little too gruffly for my liking. This time I scowled at him.

"Dad, stop being rude!"

Almost instantly, his face softened a fraction.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. No offense to you, Edward," he said with a beaded eye at Edward.

"Understandable, if I were you I'd be protective as well," Edward said beaming back. There was nothing that could budge him, honestly.

"Yes, well…" Charlie said, but his trailing off ended up in non-coherent mumbles and I dove in for a subject change.

"How about a tour? This place is really neat," I offered. He nodded his head, and just like the day we spent with Edward's parents, we took him around the entire campus.

Charlie didn't linger longer after our tour, saying the weather was bothering him and that he'd be back tomorrow anyway. I didn't want to pester him, due to my annoyance level constantly bugging up a little every time he narrowed his eyes accusingly at Edward. The taxi sped off with him in it, and I finally turned to Edward, resting my forehead on his chest and letting out my baited breath.

"I told you he's kind of stubborn. Sorry about that," I mumbled. I felt his chest shake slightly with laughter. I lifted my head to look up at him, narrowing my eyes.

"How is it you find almost everything funny?"

He looked down at me, his lips brushing against the tip of my nose.

"Because you overstress everything, you know. He's not that bad, I've met worse."

"You mean, the whole 'Chief Swan' part didn't scare you? Not even a little?" I teased. He shook his head.

"Not once. Besides, nothing is as scary as a hotheaded Bella."

I swatted his arm, and he pulled me back to his room, laughing the entire way.


	18. Bravura

**A/N: **Don't forget to review! :) They make me happy!

* * *

On Monday, I made sure Charlie came with Edward, Jasper and I to watch Alice's recital. Of course, Charlie made sure to sit in between Edward and me. I think he got a little uncomfortable with the amount of hand holding we did in front of him. Of course, I huffed and puffed about it the entire night. None-the-less, I let Jasper whisper about how proud he was of Alice to me as she took the stage. If I thought she'd been breath-taking during her ballet performance, she was knocking the wind out of me now. As much as I could gloat about Alice's gracefulness, it never seemed to be enough. She deserved every ounce of praise. I think even Charlie was a little in awe of her, too. He'd been much kinder to Alice when I introduced them, probably thankful I made friends with someone of my own gender. I just rolled my eyes at him again.

Alice seemed calm on the stage. I wasn't one to get nervous over a concert, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to chew on my nails. This was going to be my first performance at a high class school. Important people were going to be watching me. And yet, none of this affected my friends. Alice looked so peaceful, and when I looked at both Jasper and Edward, they didn't give off one aura of anxiety. In a weird way, their inner peace gave me one of my own. I wasn't alone, and the burden wasn't all on me. If I messed up, I could shrug it off. There wasn't anything that could hurt me now. I'd been through so much to get here where I am, and there wasn't much else that could break my spirits.

I pulled out of my thoughts as Jasper stood up clapping wildly for Alice. She had a grand smile on her face as she took a bow, and I stood along with Jasper. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward jump up too, and in between us, Charlie stayed rooted in his seat. He was clapping just as hard as the rest of us though, so I let him be.

We stayed for the remainder of the recital, but Charlie claimed he was too tired to stick around with us and said his goodnights. The remaining three of us left to go get Alice and congratulate her. Of course, I wouldn't tell Charlie, but the four of us made our way up to our room to celebrate one of us were finally finished.

The next day, Alice shook me awake at 10 in the morning, insisting that I needed to start getting ready right then.

"Alice, its 10 and the concert's not until 7 tonight. I think I can go until noon without primping right now," I groaned, rolling back onto my pillow.

"Not when I'm the one who's primping you!"

"Alice," I whined.

"Fine, Bella. You have until one o' clock. Then, _you're_ _mine_!" I felt the bed shift from beneath me and I saw Alice stalk off into the bathroom.

"Alice, is something wrong? Normally you don't let me off so easily," I called from my bed. She poked her head out from the bathroom, smiling at me.

"I figure it's your day, so it should go how you want. Although I do get the privilege of dolling you up."

"Well, thank you. Just don't go overboard, okay?"

"Gotcha, oh and Rosalie said she was helping out, too. So, you'll have to give her another warning when she gets here."

I rolled over and groaned.

Just as promised, once one o'clock came around, Alice got to work.

"Where's your dress, Bella?"

"Hanging in the closet, why?"

"Well, go get it; I need to get a visual here!"

I fetched my dress as told, unzipping it from its clothing bag I had it so neatly tucked away in. I walked back to the bathroom where Alice was waiting and held it out for her.

"No no, I need to see it on you!"

I sighed with force, but my only choice was to comply. I changed swiftly out of my shorts and slipped the dress on. It was simple, really- the neckline was cut straight across but the skirt flowed down to my feet, held up by spaghetti straps on my shoulders. It shimmered in the light too. It was my favorite dress, the one I always wore to my recitals. It was considered lucky, in some way, but that was only to my knowledge.

I knew I had Alice's approval of the dress by the wide grin on her face as I showed her.

"I know just what to do now."

So for the new few hours, I sat underneath Alice's working hands, Rosalie coming in shortly afterwards to help, but nothing was left. Alice had curled my hair much like how she'd done before, but as soon as Rosalie walked in, she grabbed the curler out of her hands.

"Alice, she's not going to a party. It's a _concert_; she needs an up-do!"

"If I have an up-do, it'll only fall out halfway through," I pointed out, but Rosalie waved the thought away.

"No way, here let me try. Alice, hand me those pins over there."

Sure enough, Rosalie had created a masterpiece out of my mop. It was simple, yet had an elegant touch to it. A "French Twist" I believe they had said. It was accented by the curls Alice had made, and the result was gorgeous. If it wasn't my own hair, I'd be in awe. Elegance was definitely Rosalie's area of expertise.

"Thanks, Rose, you're amazing," I said as she finished. I hugged her around her middle, which caught her off guard but hugged me back.

"Don't mention it, Bella,"

They finished with me completely around 5:45, and I left them to get ready as well. I waved goodbye and hurried out the door. I didn't have to be at the hall until 6:00, but I decided an early start would be okay- the hall was quite a walk away and in the heels Alice forced me to wear, I was definitely going to need an extra amount of time.

I arrived in the backstage area with only a minute to spare. Everyone around me had already gotten their instruments out and were practicing, tuning, or just flat out messing around. I looked around, hoping to find Edward at the piano in the corner. I started weaving through people when a voice spoke from behind me.

"I found you."

I turned around to come face to face with Edward, and nearly lost my breath. He looked… ravishing, to say the least. He wore a tuxedo, minus the ridiculous bowtie, and the topmost button of his white shirt were left unbuttoned.

"Wow," I breathed out low, looking him up and down yet again. His eyes seemed to be traveling on me as well, and I nearly forgot that I'd been wearing a dress. His eyes finally met mine, the familiar burning look in them igniting yet again, and an involuntary shiver ran through me.

"I could say the same for you."

I smiled at him, holding my arms out and doing a little spin.

"Oh, do you like it? This was all Alice and Rosalie's doing," I said. He grinned happily before pulling me to him.

"You'd be a 'wow' no matter what you're wearing," he whispered, leaning closer to me. I smiled into him, but quickly pulled away remembering that we were around other people, too.

"I need to start tuning and stuff, I'll find you before the concert starts, though," I said. I didn't want to be away from him, but I really did need to start getting my cello out and my music in order. He nodded and kissed me chastely.

He walked away, and from where he left, I saw the vile form of Tanya walking in through the door. She looked, well, gorgeous as always. She had that girl Jessica close by, and she looked nervous. Tanya, on the other hand, looked quite peachy and content. I shrugged them off, turning back to what I was doing. I fished out my cello and bow and started tuning.

Fifteen minutes later, I was finished and hung around back for a while. We weren't allowed to start sitting on stage until fifteen minutes till show time. So I stood around, watching everyone gather and laugh and just overall be carefree. My own worries were gone now, and all I could feel was excitement- the rush of performing. It had my adrenaline pumping.

"Well, don't you look quite dazzling," a voice hissed from my side. I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore Tanya. I was too into this to be bothered. I stayed silent, but she kept going.

"Yes, you just absolutely ooze _glitter_, don't you?"

She sneered at me once and turned on her heel and left. I only stared at her in confusion. That girl has some serious issues.

Finally, with about ten minutes to spare, I grabbed my cello and headed for the stage. I wove through the weave of seats, trying to find my own in the appropriate section. I nearly had my butt down when I felt myself being pulled up and away from the stage in a rush. I let out a yelp as I was being dragged away. I turned my head to find my fairy friend pulling my arm back to the curtains.

"Alice? What're you doing? Let me go!" But she didn't respond- the only answer I got was a loud pop and splash, then a sudden gasp from the audience that had been forming in the hall. When I followed their train of eyesight to the seat I was about to sit in, I let out my own gasp.

From the ceiling, a trail of feathers and glitter were falling down onto the chair, and on the floor beneath it was a big puddle, surrounded by what looked like the stretchy latex of a water balloon.

"_What_?" I asked, to no one in particular.

Alice was about to answer me when a slimy voice from the other side of the stage was crying in protest, and I looked up to see Rosalie pushing Tanya by the back of her dress to where we were.

"What is the meaning of all this?" another voice in my ear yelled. It was Anne, and she looked like she was about to murder something… or someone.

"We caught this one plotting something with her friend Jessica against Bella here, looks like she tried the good man's version of tar and feathering," Rosalie said, "honestly, glitter, feathers and a water balloon? You have no imagination whatsoever." I was still lost.

"We overheard them talking when we were walking here, and she mentioned the little mishap with Bella's cello, too," Alice chimed in.

"Tanya?" Anne's voice was full of shock and venom. Tanya's arms crossed in front of her, but she didn't say anything.

"I would never expect such behavior from someone like you; to say I'm ashamed is an understatement. Grab your belongings right now, you're no longer a part of the concert tonight and you're most certainly not performing tomorrow night either. You're to go straight to the Dean's office, do you hear me?"

Tanya's face went from angry to scared in an instant.

"But...but..,"

"Do you understand me?" Anne reiterated. This time, tears flowed from Tanya's eyes, and she wailed a sob. I had to cover my ears with my hands.

"Go, right now! And take your friend Jessica too!"

She sobbed again and broke out of Rosalie's grasp, running out of the theatre as fast as she could. Anne, however, wasn't done letting out the steam.

"She's definitely not coming back to this school, ever. I'll make damn sure about that," she huffed, yelling for someone to come clear up the mess that was caused. I let out a little laugh, satisfied.

Justice. Was. Served.

And it felt so good.

I turned to my two friends.

"I can't believe you got me out of that so fast,"

"Yeah well, I had to run in these five inch heels. It wasn't easy at all," Alice said. I laughed.

"What in the world?"

I turned to see Edward looking between the mess of glitter and feathers to the three of us, his face showing confusion.

"Don't worry about it, revenge is sweet," I said. He still looked confused, but knowing that it had something to do with Tanya, he seemed a bit satisfied to hear the word revenge.

"Anyway, we got to go, the concerts starting in five minutes. Good luck, Bella!" Rosalie said, this time her giving me a hug, followed by Alice.

"Thanks guys, a lot."

"That's what we're here for!" Alice chirped as they disappeared down to the seats.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked me, pulling me into a hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Tanya's not though. Anne's making sure she's never setting foot here again."

Edward grinned. "Good."

"Three minutes everyone, hurry and take your seats!" Then, she came towards Edward and me.

"Bella, I'm sorry, they tried cleaning it all up but the glitters not coming out completely. You'll have to be a little attention drawer tonight, I hope you don't mind."

"It's okay, a little glitter never hurt anyone," I said grinning at her.

* * *

Aside from the array of sparkles around me, the concert went smoothly. It saddened me a little, knowing it was the last gathering of everyone in the class. As the audience clapped wildly after our last piece, I looked between Edward and Jasper, who seemed to be grinning madly just like I was. In a way, I felt like this was my breakthrough; I made it here finally and this is what I had to show for it. After three years of auditioning repeatedly, I made my mark permanently.

After the clapping died out, I shuffled back to tuck my cello away safely. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind as I knelt to grab my case, a voice smooth in my ear.

"You were just amazing tonight."

I turned around, smiling up at Edward and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Oh, I think I have a few better compliments to our star pianist."

"Are we celebrating tonight?"

"Of course, and Rose and Emmett are joining us tonight, too."

"Oh good, I always thought Emmett was a real bear of a guy."

I smiled at him, pulling away and bending down to pick up my cello. Edward held out his arm to me.

"Shall we?"

"We shall, just as soon as I say goodnight to Charlie. Seems like he couldn't handle it here and wants to leave tomorrow instead of Friday, so give me about five minutes."

Edward nodded and we headed off to the front of the hall to find Charlie.

When we were finally able to head back to our room, we passed by the front of the school. It was there that I heard soft sobs and knew to whom they belonged to. I turned to Edward, setting my cello case down on the ground.

"Give me just five minutes, please?"

He gave me a studious look, but nodded.

I walked towards Tanya's hunched form as she sat on a bench, her face in her hands. She still wore her concert dress, but her bags and belongings were on the ground next to her feet.

"So they really kicked you out, huh?" I asked bluntly. I didn't care much for hurting feelings right now. She looked up at me, her mascara ran down her cheeks but she scowled at me.

"Yeah, they did. Are you happy? Do you always get everything your way?" she snapped at me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious, poster girl? You're just too perfect, aren't you? Perfect boyfriend, perfect future ahead of you, do you even have to _try_ for any of it?"

"Tanya, what the hell are you talking about?" I repeated myself. Was she honestly trying to tell me she was jealous of me?

"Go away, already."

I studied her for a moment, clenching my jaw in anger.

"You know Tanya, maybe if you pulled your head out of your own ass once in a while you'd see not everything is the way you think it is. If this is about Edward, then let me tell you- I didn't ask for any of it, but it seems like the more you tried to force it away from me, the more it came towards me. You don't have anyone to blame but yourself."

"It never was just about Edward!"

"Then what else was it about?"

"You're little miss perfect cellist. You have no idea the way people talk about you, do you? All the "amazing" and "wonderful" and "fabulous" comments get annoying after they've been shoved down your throat for so long. That was supposed to be me, I was the amazing one. And who're you? This was your first semester here, you're basically nothing!"

I let the weight of her words sink in. This girl had nothing on her mind except herself.

"You brought it on yourself," my voice came out in an angry whisper, too afraid that if I said anything else I might get violent on her. Before she could say anything back, I turned and took a few steps away from her.

"Oh by the way, glitter? Honestly? Why glitter?" I said sarcastically, turning back to her.

She gave me one last infamous sneer. "Because you're the center of attention, of course," her voice came out bitter and mocking. I didn't know if I could take her seriously, so I just rolled my eyes in disgust and walked away.

"What was that about?" Edward asked as he picked up my cello.

"She basically just told me she's jealous of me!" I shrieked. Edward laughed.

"Well, that's understandable. And, kind of obvious."

"No I mean, of everything about me! She said people talk about me, praising me and that it should be her, not me! I mean, honestly, who would talk about me first of all? And even if they did, I don't care!"

Edward pursed his lips, his eyes straying away.

"People haven't talked about me, right?" I asked him suspiciously. His lips curved into a not-so innocent smile.

"And you didn't tell me this?!" my voice raised an octave.

"It's not like they say bad things, and plus, it's kind of nice to hear such high and mighty stuff about you. I knew you'd get mad about it if I told you."

I stared at him in disbelief. It was hard to grasp the idea that I'd been the hot commodity of the school. It was… ridiculous!

"I'm not mad, it's just, _why_? I don't care what anyone has to say about me, good or bad, but still."

"They only said what I've told you the entire semester."

"You know I can't take a compliment, anyway."

Edward rolled his eyes at me. "That's for sure."

I smiled and let out a sigh. "I'm tired of thinking about all this stuff, let's just go up and have a good rest of the night, alright?" I said, wrapping my hand around his. He smiled down at me, nodding and pulling me the rest of the way.


	19. Bel Canto

**A/N: **Hello everyone! I've missed you all! Sorry for the delay, I actually got back from my LA trip on Friday afternoon, but I was burnt and tired from Disneyland so I needed the entire weekend to recover. I actually wanted to finish this chapter sooner but I've also had a death in the family that my mom's trying to cope with, so I had to take care of that too. But no worries, I am here! Anyway, I just wanted to say I love you guys! I've also uploaded the first chapter of another story I'm planning after this one's finished, "The Bet Against Fate"- go check it out on my profile :) Read, review and enjoy!

* * *

The previous night's events were the first things to come across my mind when I woke up the next morning, so I tried my best to avoid people as much as I could. I didn't even know which to think of first- the fact that Tanya had just been removed, permanently, from this school or apparently being the source of gossip for people I've never really talked to. And what got me even more was the fact that I hadn't really spoken to many people more than necessary. That struck me as odd, and then immediately made me feel like I didn't belong. But that was silly, my place was with Edward and Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett, I didn't need to find acceptance with anyone else as far as I was concerned. Let them have a field day talking, I just brushed it off. I needed to focus on what the rest of the week would bring.

I had practically begged Charlie to let Edward and I take him to the airport. Edward saw it as a good opportunity for me to leave him with a better impression of what my semester had been so far after he'd heard about the Tanya situation. Of course, once he found out it was about jealousy, of all silly and pathetic things to be expelled about, he turned into cop mode and cast a suspicious eye. As much as that annoyed me, I suddenly felt sad about him not seeing my solo-slash-duet, but I had to take into consideration of his dislike for his surroundings. Charlie truly was a homebody- he wouldn't even drive out of town unless absolutely necessary, so I knew just how painful it was for him. Thankfully, he agreed to let us drive him in the end.

The one condition Charlie would agree on was that I'd have to ride in the back seat. I scowled for a bit, but reminded myself that the drive was short and I'd have my seat back on the way returning. The drive wasn't short, actually, and took well over an hour.

We finally arrived at the airport with an hour to spare. We walked in with Charlie, much to his disagreement since he wasn't one for long, overdrawn goodbyes. We walked through the double doors, me in between Charlie and Edward with both of my arms linked through theirs. I was trying to lighten my father's mood, but he seemed to find something to grumble about none the less. I tried to not roll my eyes in front of him.

"Bella, why don't you stay over here and let Edward and I check my bag in?" Charlie asked as he spotted the check in queue. I beaded my eyes at him suspiciously, but he seemed to only have one blank expression on his face. Hesitantly, I agreed, and walked over to the security check to wait.

I watched the two of them in line, Edward seeming perfectly at ease next to my dad. I could've snorted in amusement at how opposite they could be. My eyes were too fixated on Edward to notice my dad leaning over and speaking to him without making much eye contact with him, so I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at his lazy crooked smile until I saw him bend to speak back to my dad. I wanted to go over there to them, but I held back. Edward didn't seem to be upset by anything my father had said, so I let it go, but I would definitely make sure to ask him about it.

They finally checked Charlie's bag in 5 minutes later and met me at the check point. Charlie looked a bit lost, not knowing how to start a goodbye so I broke the ice for him. I pulled him into a big hug. He seemed a bit shocked at first, his arms stayed aloof but after a second he hugged me back. I couldn't help but smile. Rarely did my father show emotions, but it definitely was a sight to see when he did. I looked at Edward from my father's shoulder, he was still smiling and his eyes were locked with mine.

"Be safe, Dad. And make sure to tell everyone back home I said 'hi,'" I said as I pulled away. The sadness washed over me again. He smiled at me slightly.

"Bella, you're going to be home by the end of the week, you know."

"Well, yeah… but still," I said with a blush. Charlie laughed and ruffled my head, much to my annoyance.

"Knock 'em out tomorrow, kid. And Edward," he said, turning around to look at Edward who'd given us our space to say our goodbyes, "remember what I said, and take care of her, alright?"

Edward nodded his head slowly. I lingered my eyes on him to see if he'd give away a hint of information, but he kept looking at Charlie.

"I'll see you on Saturday, okay?" Charlie said, this time he pulled me into a hug. I nodded my head against his shoulder before lifting my head to kiss him on the cheek.

"Have a nice flight, Dad," I said. He rolled his eyes before saying "goodbye" to both of us and walked through the gates.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as we watched my dad go through security. When he finally got through, he turned around again and waved to us. We both waved back, and I let out a sigh.

"C'mon, let's head back before the band recitals start," Edward whispered in my ear. I nodded my head and we both turned back to head to the parking lot.

Once inside Edward's car, I let my head fall back on the headrest. All throughout the day, my mind had never let go of the nagging feeling of nervousness. Mentally, I was prepared for the big night tomorrow, but I was still antsy about it. Not just about the actual recital, but what was to come afterwards. The entire week, I'd been feeling slightly apart from Edward, having to do so much preparations and the mess that the night before had brought. If I didn't have such a damn headstrong need to make the moment perfect, I'd break down that instant in the car with him. Instead, I reached over and laced my fingers in his, catching him a little off-guard as he looked down in surprise at our joined hands and smiled. I didn't say anything to him for the first ten minutes, too busy lost in my own thought. Then just as I started thinking of Charlie again, it struck me.

"What did my dad say to you?" I asked him suddenly. He didn't look confused, actually he grinned mischievously at my words and I took it as a usual sign for "I'm not going to tell you." I scowled at him.

"Why do you feel the need to keep conversations between our parents and you a secret from me?" I asked him, not really expecting an answer.

"You find out about them eventually, though."

"Then what's the point in waiting? Tell me now!" I almost begged. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

"It's _my_ father, I have a right to know," I pointed out childishly. He still didn't say anything. I let out an annoyed huff.

"Eventually," he said more seriously that I would have expected. For some reason, a thrill went right through me.

* * *

"_So_ glad I didn't bring my own automobile," I complained under my breath as we finally arrived back at school. I stepped out of Edward's car, thankful to be out of it.

"Oh, c'mon, traffic's not so bad once you get used to it," Edward tried to soothe, but it hardly helped.

"Only to you, you've been here longer than I have!"

"How about I let you get in some practice time next semester?" Edward said with a laugh. I smiled slightly, Edward's car was really nice to drive, and I suppose a few midnight drives with him wouldn't have me complaining, really.

"Well how could I refuse that? Just means that I get to be alone with you, in a car," I said as I stood on my toes to kiss him.

"Stop being cheeky and go get ready," he said against my mouth, not moving his lips from mine. I sighed and pulled away- he was right, as always. "Rosalie will be mad if we're late and we only have 45 minutes until curtain."

So together, we walked back to our dorm building to get ready.

We arrived at Zipper Hall just before they closed the entrance doors, and surprisingly Alice and Jasper had waited to grab some seats with us. Of course, I got an angry glare from Alice for the first ten minutes.

Rosalie was going to play the part of Katherine in Taming of The Shrew. I never quite enjoyed the play before; actually I've never really taken to Shakespeare. I told myself that I'd at least try and seem interested tonight, for Rose's benefit.

Actually, as the play progressed, I found that I didn't need to pinch myself to stay alert. I was immediately warped into it, and Rosalie's performance was nothing short of magnificent. She was a natural, and really seemed to be perfect for Katherine. I found it a little ironic how similar the two are. Rose sure could be a firecracker if handled without caution. But I had to hand it to her; she definitely knew how to take care of herself.

We all stood and clapped and cheered wildly for Rose at the end of the play. She had a genuine smile on her face as she took a deep bow & curtsey. Emmett's big bulky form caught my eye out of the corner when I saw him stand up from the section beside us. He had a humongous bouquet of flowers, none of which looked anything like roses. It was a cute gesture that made me smile widely. He made his way to the stage and placed them delicately in her arms, at which she placed a kiss on her fingertips and put them on Emmett's cheek. He stood in his spot and clapped harder than anyone else in the hall. The pride swelled in him.

We celebrated that night the same way we had for Alice and me. Except Rosalie and Emmett were desperate to leave for some "alone time" (and they had no shame in letting us know exactly that, too) so by about an hour after, it was only the four of us left.

"You're staying with me tonight, you know that right?" Edward asked, his voice a whisper in my ear while the other two around us laughed at something Jasper had said. I turned my face to him and nodded brightly. It seemed almost as a necessity than a question or request, and I knew I would need the pleasant sleep I always got around him for tomorrow. I would need all the courage I could muster.

* * *

I wish I could say I woke up the next morning feeling more confident. Actually, I was more nervous than before. I practically trembled the entire day and I'm pretty sure I looked like I was being shocked by electricity to everyone. I never had gotten cold feet like this before, not even for past solo performances. It was as if I finally comprehended the fact that here I was, the school of my dreams, about to perform a solo/duet with my boyfriend accompanying me. Am I dreaming? I pinched myself- nope, not dreaming. My stomach flipped again.

I walked back into my room, only to be pulled in the rest of the way by Alice.

"C'mon, I have a surprise for you," she said as she swung open the door.

"Um, what kind of surprise? My stomach can't handle much more right now," I warned her.

"A good one, I promise."

She started fishing underneath her bed and pulled out a white box with a red, satin ribbon tied around it. I immediately scowled.

"Alice!" I scolded her, but she shook her head.

"It's not from me, silly. It's from your dad, he asked me to give it to you today since he couldn't be here."

"Oh," I said, more confused than surprised. My dad wasn't one to give gifts, among all his other socially-disabled traits. Let alone, one for his own daughter of seventeen; I wonder whose help he enlisted for this task?

I slowly pulled the ribbon off the box and lifted the lid of it. After digging through a layer of tissue paper, I did an intake of breath involuntarily.

I pulled out the cloth that was folded neatly inside to get a better view. The box fell to the floor and I lifted out a beautiful black dress.

It looked quite short, but knowing Charlie he made sure it covered what needed to be covered. Thin straps protruded from both the left and right and a thinner layer of lace covered the skirt. In the middle, around the waist, lay an elegant black bow.

From in front of me, I heard Alice let out a squeal of delight.

"Oh, Bella, it's absolutely beautiful! Oh you have to go try it on right now!" she pulled me off my bed and pushed me into the bathroom to change. I let out a breath of air at Alice, but obligingly slid off my own wrinkly clothes and pulled the dress up my waist and over my arms. I took a look in the mirror, doing a little twist both ways to admire it. I was shocked that it looked good on me actually; it really gave my old concert dress a run for its money.

I swayed out, leaning my arm against the doorway of the bathroom as I flaunted my new favorite article of clothing to Alice. Another squeal came out of her.

"Gosh, Bella, your dad has really good taste," she gushed as she flared out the dress to examine it some more.

"He does, doesn't he?" I said with a laugh. My dad's own wardrobe hardly had any diversity to it; simple button-up, collared shirts with a front pocket for a pocket protector and suit pants were his daily attire. He definitely must have gotten someone to help him.

"Did he leave a card?" I asked Alice.

"Yeah, I think I saw it in the box," she replied.

I dug through it and found a small white envelope and hastily opened it. Inside was a simple thick piece of paper with my dad's scrawl on it.

"_Bella, I'm sorry I couldn't stay, so I hope this makes things up. I had to have two of the girls who worked at the store help me with it. Knock 'em dead, I know you always do._

_Love, Charlie._"

I could've gotten teary-eyed right then and there.

"Alice, when he did do this?" I asked, my voice coming out thick.

"Don't know, but he gave me the box after your concert on Tuesday," she said with a shrug.

"How did you sneak this by me then?"

She laughed and shook her head. "I have my ways."

I rolled my eyes, and then took a step back into the bathroom to look at myself again in the dress. Suddenly, all that mattered ion my mind was Edward's reaction to my new sexy dress.

I knew I should be mad at my dad for trying to buy my forgiveness for running back to Forks so early, but I understood him. I didn't blame him at all; in fact the dress was pretty much unnecessary. Not that I didn't appreciate it, I truly did. I would honestly give it back to have my father watch me play tonight.

"There will be other times," I said to myself.

Alice insisted she start my "renovations," as she put it, early due to the fact that I had a new outfit and would need more time to find the perfect look to go with it. This time I didn't fuss and let her surprise me. I wanted to be absolutely perfect.

Up until six that evening, I was repeating a mantra in my head. "I'm not going to mess this up, I've come too far." Then it dawned on me, almost as if I'd forgotten.

This was my last night here until after New Years.

"Alice," I asked, my voice cracking just a bit. Alice's eyes darted to mine in the bathroom mirror as she messed with a strand of my hair. "If we don't get to be roomies again next semester, you're not going to… forget me, are you?"

Alice looked at me with a mixture of amusement and sadness, almost sympathy. She looked like she downright wanted to hug me and pet me.

"Bella, you do know we are stuck together for the next three and a half semesters right? They don't switch roommates out here unless you drop out."

Oh.

"Oh."

"But don't worry Bella, if by some miracle they decide to switch us out, I'll still crash on your dorm floor every night," she said with a laugh.

"Good," I said laughing along with her.

I still didn't stop my mind from going a mile a minute. Usually, I would have tried to get in some extra practicing but I was so worried that if I even tried playing before the concert, I'd blank out and forget everything. So instead, I sat on my bed, my eyes looking straight ahead and focused solely on breathing evenly.

I waited for Alice to finish primping as well; she wanted to walk with me to the hall since she was allowed to hang out backstage. She felt it was the least she could do to try and calm my already body-wracking nerves. In fact, it took all my strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other as we headed down the pathway. Of course, some of the problem came from the heels Alice had made me wear…

We used the side entrance of the building, as the front entrance was closed off for the time being. Inside, I heard different voices of music being played from within each practice room we passed by.

"I'm going to go find someone official looking and find something useful to do. Jasper says Edward's around here, or well, he left to come here so he SHOULD be here. You okay to go find him?" Alice asked. I nodded at her and let her skip off, and I began my hunt for Edward.

I found him sitting in one of the practice rooms along the back, playing quietly on one of the more muted pianos. Surprisingly, it had only taken me five minutes to find him. I crept into the room quietly, setting my cello case down gently. He continued playing, giving me the opportunity to sneak up behind him and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek against his. What surprised me was that he didn't jump as I expected, meaning he must have heard me anyway. Instead I felt his lips curl upwards in a smile. Oh well, plan failed, too late to turn back now!

"You know, back when I took solo lessons, we had to find an accompanist and paid them for their… services," I said in a whisper, amused at my choice of word.

"Oh?" he asked, his voice equally low.

"Mhmm."

"Do tell what your idea of payment is?" amusement clear in his voice.

"For you? Anything and everything," I said a little more seriousness in my voice than intended. My emotions were slipping. He turned in his seat to face me, my arms still wrapped around his neck as his own slid around my waist. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Well, I do have a few ideas…," he said as his eyes danced down to size me up. "You do look quite ravishing in that dress."

I rolled my eyes at him, a smile etched on my face. "Something PG-13, Romeo."

He laughed. "Then I think I can settle for this," his voice dropped to a whisper as he pulled me closer, his face inching agonizing closer to mine. His lips only grazed mine at first, almost as if asking for a taste, then pressed them more firmly again. My veins shivered in my own skin and I felt weak. I hadn't been able to kiss him with such fervor for over a week and this was like water to my thirst. My arms automatically pulled my body closer to his, my fingers lightly grazing the back of his neck. I felt goose-bumps on his skin, and I almost smiled in satisfaction at causing such an eruption from him. It felt good to know I had the same effect on him as he did on me.

In what felt like too short of time, he pulled away ever so slightly from me that I whimpered in protest. He gave a deep chuckle from his throat.

"Wait, let me pay you a little more," I mumbled in protest as I captured his lips again. His laughter grew and he broke off again. I don't think I could ever get sick of kissing him, really.

"You really do look lovely tonight," he said as he held me out at arm's length to examine my dress more closely.

"Why thank you, I'll be sure to let Charlie know," I said before letting the thought register in my brain. "Hey, wait a minute, did you know about this?" I asked suspiciously.

Edward pursed his lips and tried to feign an angelic look. I swatted his shoulder.

"You did! And you didn't tell me!"

"Well, he wanted it to be a surprise since he couldn't stay."

"I know, but still. I hate surprises."

"I think surprises are my new favorite things in the entire world," he said with a wiggle of an eyebrow.

"Really? That's good to know, I'm just full of them," I said, more to myself than Edward.

"Oh, good, I found you two. So I found out the concert order. They're going to have the Chamber groups perform first, and then the solos will go after intermission. And they said that you two are going last," Alice said from the doorway. She appeared to be smiling happily. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Last? Why last?"

"Special request by Anne," Alice said with a grin. My heart leapt- from my own experience, being the last soloist usually meant that you'd be the big bang at the end of the recital. It was usually also reserved for people who'd gotten special honors or done something above and beyond expectation, kind of like a "save the best for last" thing. I instantly felt more nervous now.

"And the first group is going on at seven exactly, so better be prepared! Your Chamber group is fifth to play, too," Alice said as she walked off. I started chewing on my bottom lip.

"Nervous?" Edward asked me.

"Me? Nervous? No way," I tried to reply coolly but my voice cracked with my last words. Edward pulled me close to him, enveloping me into him.

"You have nothing to worry about, you know that."

He could say it all he wanted, but my nerves were still turning into lassos inside me.

* * *

My first performance was actually enjoyable. I found it easier to be up on stage with a group of people, not just alone. So as our piece finished, I bowed with the rest of the group and grinned like an idiot. One down, one to go.

Edward, Alice and I watched the rest of the groups and soloists play from the side of the stage. I'd never really bothered to hear anyone else except Edward play and I was blown out of the water by some of the performers. They were truly dedicated and passionate about every note they played. The best part was that some pieces were even original compositions, some fun and light-hearted and others heavy with tragedy and sadness. Each note thudded in me. It wasn't until the second to last performer took the stage that I felt the nervousness rush into me again. It hit me hard too, and I clutched to Edward to keep me steady.

"Bella, breathe," he whispered in my ear. I tried taking a deep breath of air.

"I can't do this. I'm… I'm nervous beyond belief. I might mess up. I didn't practice today, I know I should've. Oh God, I can't even remember what we're playing now," I said in a shaky breath.

"You can't forget what we're playing, it's almost etched into your mind," he soothed.

"No, Edward, you don't understand. This is too much for me to handle."

"Listen to me, Bella. You're going to go out there and you're going to blow everyone away. You're going to make everyone who ever said you were only "a good musician" eat their words. These people are going to walk out of here, completely taken back by you," his voice came out firm, but with a sense of pleading to understand him.

I turned to look at him.

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because I've seen you become better than what you were when you first came here- you've grown into the person you are now. You're still Bella, who was already sweet and marvelous enough, but now you're only twenty times better. And I know somewhere inside there you have the confidence to do this, you just need to dig it out," his voice dropped to a whisper by the last sentence, and as I opened my mouth to say something, anything to him, he continued. "And- because I love you."

I didn't even get to respond. The next thing I heard was the audience clapping madly and Alice ushering me out to the stage, telling me that I was on now.


	20. Intimo

**A/N: **This was going to be longer but that would mean I'd actually have to move the story along, and that would mean the end is even more imminent :( I hope the fluff is okay for now, it pains me to have to close this soon! Anyway, I love all of you who're reading and enjoying this, it's certainly fun to see your guys' reactions! Haha, anyway, read on! Don't forget to drop a review! ;)

* * *

_Time to try a new mantra_, I thought. One on concentrating on breathing properly and not passing out on stage.

I blinked as I was pushed out to the stage by Alice, my feet suddenly not knowing how to move on their own. Did I hear right? I repeated those glorious words in my head over and over again, trying to block out the intense applause. I had to try and remember where I was and why I was here. But I couldn't, the only emotion I felt now was pure, radiant _love_.

The chair and stand were set out for me a little off to the side and in front of the grand piano. I watched Edward take his seat on the bench as I sat down in my own chair. I tried not to fumble with my music as I set it up on my stand. Finally, after situating myself I forced my eyes to look out beyond the spotlights. My heart froze, my body shut down. I'd never seen so many people at once, ever. I quickly closed my eyes, feeling myself gaping and not wanting to look like a deer in headlights in front of so many people.

I took in a couple breaths. I could do this, I had worked too hard and Edward had worked too hard and…

Then my eyes snapped open.

_I love you._

My heart swelled again, this time without shock. It swelled with happiness, euphoria, an elated feeling of confidence.

I looked over to Edward, whose eyes had been fixated on me, a look of calm all over him. With my newfound sense of ease, I gave him a short nod, and before I knew it, the music began.

The first piano notes swirled in my head for the first two measures. I inhaled, just before I drew my bow across the strings.

I let my eyelids fall again, the music shaking me body and mind alike. There was a new feeling in me, the same one I'd been feeling for a while but bigger- better. More whole. I felt complete for once. It was powerful, almost overcoming. I let it flow throughout my body from the tips of my fingers, channeling the energy in the music. I didn't just hear it anymore, I _felt_ it. I was acutely aware of everything- of Edward sitting off to my right, of the hundreds of eyes fixated on me, of the eyes of my peers and teachers watching us from backstage. I felt it all, and I realized I wasn't playing for myself. I was playing for everything around me.

It was almost a primal feeling when we came to the faster tempo of the piece. I didn't even feel the strings vibrating beneath my fingers as they danced up and down my cello. Mingling with Edward's own fingers light and fast on the piano keys. We could've been dancing, the way the music intertwined itself in the air. My eyes closed tighter as the piece escalated, my body swaying almost violently as I pushed the bow harder to expand the volume of my cello.

If I'd been giving everything I had when the piece started, I was devoting myself to the climatic high. Out of nowhere, my journey from the past 7 months flashed in my mind like a silent black and white movie. The day I got my acceptance letter, packing and heading off to the airport, the day I arrived and met Edward, meeting Alice and Jasper, Edward kissing me to spite Tanya, crying over my cello, and even Tanya on the bench two nights ago. It was like a bittersweet love story, every bad and good moment swept through me.

The next thing I knew, I was drawing the last long note of the piece, the tone dying away to almost nothing as Edward struck his last chord. It took almost a whole five seconds of absolute silence before the audience started clapping. Deafening clapping. I slowly opened my eyes and bit my lip, but to my surprise there was not one person in the audience who was still in their seat. All were standing, for me. For us- Edward and I. I couldn't help the maddening grin that spread across my face as I stood from my own chair, holding my cello in one hand and extending the other to acknowledge Edward. He stood also and together we took a short bow.

Alice and Jasper appeared at the end of the stage, both holding flowers in each hand. Edward bent to take them from them and handed them to me, at which I smiled widely at them and mouthed a "thank you."

Edward tugged me off stage by my hand as the dean took the stage, launching into an ending speech of how it'd been a wonderful semester and how important music is to the youth, standard professor speech-stuff. He then closed the night, and as I turned to finally get a chance to talk with Edward, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett skidded to a halt in front of us, both girls squeezing me from the front and back in a giant group hug.

"Oh, my GOD Bella, you were amazing! No you were… supreme, wonderful, magnificent, dazzling-,"

"Okay, okay, I get it! Thanks, guys," I said, trying to wiggle out of their grip before they suffocated me.

"No, Bella, you don't understand, I almost started crying. I was moved; I wanted to just scream at you to stop because my heart couldn't handle just how beautifully you were playing!" This time Rosalie gushed, which caused my cheeks to flame.

"Yeah, Bella, I mean, I don't mean to sound like a girl or anything but… holy crap. You put everyone else to shame tonight," Emmett chimed me. I could see his eyes glossed over a little, as if he'd been holding in a few tears. I laughed at the internal image of Emmett crying.

"That means a lot coming from you guys, seriously," I said honestly as Alice and Rosalie finally let me go.

"You didn't play so bad yourself, Edward," Rosalie said. Edward grinned, while the rest of them finally acknowledged him standing back from the rest of us.

"Not so bad? Pfft, he outshined me on that stage," I said as I linked one of my arms through his, standing on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. He only rolled his eyes at me.

"So says the one who got flowers," he quipped. I smiled at him before picking out one of the flowers from the bouquets and placing it in the pocket of his shirt.

"There, now you can't say you didn't get a flower," I grinned at him.

"You both did a fantastic job," Alice concluded. Nobody could argue with that.

"So, celebration tonight?" Rosalie asked. I hadn't exactly been planning on our ritualistic event after recitals, but I knew it would mean a lot to them tonight especially, considering it would be our last day together. We'd all be staying until Saturday, but technically this was the last day of school. The thought made me incredibly sad.

"Yeah, sure, but just give me some time first alright? There's some stuff I need to take care of before we all get crazy," I said, and from my side I could see Edward's eyes down casted on me.

"Sure, no problem, take as much time as you need. The rest of us are going to go get stuff ready, okay?" Alice said. I nodded, and the two couples waved to me, congratulating me again before heading out of the building.

I turned to face Edward, who was still standing with his arm linked around mine. I gave a playful tug.

"Care to join me on a walk?" I asked.

He smiled down at me. "As if I'd say no."

We walked to the courtyard, the streetlamps around it made it glow underneath the sky. I tilted my head up, examining the broad blackness above. There were no stars in LA; really, rarely did one ever see one. In my mind, I settled for the streetlamp-star-replacements.

In true gentleman fashion, Edward carried my cello for me, while I clutched my music folder to my chest with one arm, my free hand linked with Edward's.

"It's so weird how everything's over already," he spoke with a quiet voice. I pursed my lips and nodded my head, not wanting to think about leaving in two days. We walked over to a ledge, both of us leaning against it. I knew I couldn't stay silent for much longer, but it was so hard trying to figure out how exactly I would word what I wanted to say.

"And being away for two weeks is going to be really hard now-,"

"You weren't just saying it because I was freaking out were you?" I cut him off abruptly. I spun from where I was leaning to face Edward, my eyes shooting straight into his. He looked taken aback, almost shocked. I bit my lip nervously, but I couldn't hold it in anymore. I needed to skip over the small talk, as enjoyable as it would be.

"What?" he asked with confusion.

"You know, the L word. Back there, when we were waiting offstage. It wasn't just because I was about to have a mental breakdown, was it?"

"Bella," Edward cut me off with a soft voice. I look back up at him from under my lashes, his expression completely free of any certain emotion. He reached out to my waist and pulled me closer to him. I cast my eyes downward to hide the slight anxiety creeping up on me. Now I was just hoping I hadn't heard him wrong backstage.

"How could I not mean it?"

"You'd say it if I knew I was having a panic attack!" I was reasoning when I didn't want to. Why was I trying to give him excuses when deep down all I wanted to do was shout "I love you, too, Edward. More than you know or think."

"Are you really going to try and reason with me about this? Should I have not said it?" Edward asked, a sense of hurt coming over him that crumbled into me too. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't want him to love me, but I guess I was trying to wake up from this supposed dream.

"No, it's not that at all, Edward. It's just… every time I stop and think about you and me, or even the little things… I don't know, it just built up inside me and I've been dying to tell you for so long now but I never found a perfect time to say it. You just beat me to it, and threw me off for a good surprise, too," my cheeks flushed at my own admittance, but I was so done holding back.

To my surprise, Edward chuckled and pulled me even closer, wrapping me into a tight embrace. My arms slid around his torso and I buried my face in his neck. He smelled delicious- I don't think I could ever get enough of him. I felt him breathe out a sigh against my shoulder, not one of sadness, but contentment. I wanted to be buried into this moment forever. I didn't want to go back and meet our friends, I didn't want to leave on Saturday. I wanted to stay here in this perfect moment for the rest of my life.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered against his skin.

And to be honest, it felt so _good_ to say it.

"What?" he asked.

"I love you," I said again, this time with my voice a little stronger.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I didn't understand you. What did you say?" amusement clearly in his voice. I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him directly and repeated the phrase again with force.

"Louder," he demanded with a smile.

"I love you," my voice way above normal room level.

"Louder, still."

"I love you, Edward Cullen," I shouted. I shouted it to the dark blue sky above us, to the buildings of the school that brought us together, to the distant city lights around us, reminding them to etch this into their glow forever. I wanted everyone to know that I loved him, much more than I've ever loved anything in my life.

He grinned at me before leaning over and kissing me gently. "I love you, too."

"I think I like the outcome of tonight better than the scene I had imagined," I said with a small laugh.

"Speaking of which," he said, narrowing his eyes at me, "if you've been harboring such feelings for a while, why did it take you so long, and until now to get over your nerves and tell me? Do you enjoy some sort of sick masochism by making yourself so anxious all at once that I actually got scared you were going to pass out on me?"

"I wasn't THAT bad, okay?! And… I don't know, I wanted it to be memorable, I guess," I said, reminding myself of how stupid I was sounding. Right now, I didn't need it to be memorable or special or cute or romantic comedy movie-like. I wanted it to be real, and it's what I got.

"Well, was it memorable?"

I shook my head. "No, I figured I don't care. It could've been cheesy and stupid for all I care, but all that matters is that I mean it and you mean it."

"So you're not going to remember this, then," he said it with a kind of finality, but the glint in his eyes gave away his taunting.

"No, that's not what I meant, meanie," I playfully swatted his arm as he laughed.

"Come on, we should start heading back before the others send out a search party," Edward said as he finally stood up straighter and reached for both my cello and my hand. We walked back towards the dorms, both with silly smiles on our faces.

"Say it," I said as we neared the doors of the building.

"I love you, Isabella Swan," he said with a laugh.

"I'll never get enough of that."


	21. Volante

**A/N: **It's getting increasingly harder trying to finalize this. Sorry my updates have gotten slow, someone smashed my car window and stole my friends purse out of my car on Fourth of July and I've been running around trying to find someone to replace it for me (Argh, I wish I could begin to tell you how aggravated I was about that! Worst holiday EVER!) And I've been trying to write two fics at a time, but I just decided to finish this story now (which I lied about, by the way. There'll be an epilogue after the next chapter, cause there's no other way to end this without it being sad without one) and then for those who are intrigued by The Bet Against Fate (thank you for the marvelous reviews, by the way!), I'll update it once this is done, so probably by next week! Enough of me rambling, here you guys go :D Don't forget to drop a review! I like the praise, it makes me purr :').

* * *

That last night was the most emotional I'd ever have to endure. I was so happy, so in love, and then so sad and distraught at the same time. The whirlwind that had been this last week hadn't truly washed over me yet, and I found myself holding back silly tears. _Just two weeks, no big deal._

But it was a big deal. I had my entire life here now- Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and even Emmett- they were all a part of me and even a day without seeing a familiar face would be pointless, bland, and definitely a waste.

When Edward and I returned back to my room, we walked in with the lights completely off. I crinkled my brow, turning to Edward in the doorway and seeing a matching expression on his own face.

"Must still be out," he suggested. I shrugged and agreed. I flipped the light switch and was greeted with a round of noisemakers erupting from my four friends, causing me to jump in fright that I almost knocked Edward to the ground, yelping. I finally regained my mind, the four of them laughing at my reaction and I scowled. I looked around the room to find almost every inch of the floor covered in streamers, confetti, balloons- anything else that a party store might have in stock. Emmett and Jasper even had party hats on, and the silly sight in front of me made me want to both laugh and run back out of the room.

"You guys are so, so LAME!" I nearly shouted, still recovering from my fright episode.

"Well, we were just going to grab some stuff from my place, but Alice pointed out a party store along the way and demanded we make a stop," Rosalie explained. I should have known, only a pesky pixie like Alice would think of something like that.

"But the party hats were totally Emmett's idea," Jasper tried to explain. Now that part caught me by surprise.

"As long as I don't have to wear one," I said, "but seriously guys, who's going to clean this up tomorrow? I have way too much packing to do and I know I probably won't wake up until about 3 in the afternoon."

"Don't sweat it, Bella. They practically expect us to trash the place before we leave. Another one of our 'rituals,'" Rosalie chimed.

"I don't know I feel a little mean doing this," I said wearily. In truth, I was nearing exhaustion. I had just wanted to come back and just savor the last moments I'd have with my friends, not cause an uproar in the middle of the night. But, what the heck, why not? What better way to top off the most memorable night of your life than a mini-party with your best friends?

Rosalie and Alice both gave me a pleading look. Rosalie giving me that expression was a total shocker, but I brushed it off quickly, smiling at them both. They both let out a squeal that I winced at.

"Want a party hat, Edward? We got spares," Jasper offered, only to have Edward shake his head vigorously, causing us all to laugh again.

"So, what selections do we have tonight? Anything good? I think Alice's ballet music is getting a little worn out," I said as Alice shot me a glare and stuck her tongue out at me. I grabbed a stack of CD's sitting by the stereo, looking through them. One of them didn't have a label, so I shrugged and put it on.

Instantly, Jazz music erupted in the room. I shook my head and let it play.

The night was crazy, as planned. We had lost track of time hours ago, but I found myself energized by my friends' enthusiasm. The night was filled with hilarious conversation, a few gross and typical guy-ish dares between Emmett, Jasper and Edward, and the constant happy music that Rose picked out. I would never have pegged her to like ragtime or jazz music, but it was mostly what she listened to. Then again, I learned not to be surprised around Rosalie anymore, because she was absolutely full of them. Edward had tried to get me to dance a few times by twirling me but I stood my ground, not budging an inch. Dancing and my clumsiness tended to NOT go hand-in-hand. I left the dancing to Alice and Rose.

But between Alice doing goofy dances to all of our music selections (the girl could make even the chicken dance look graceful and beautiful) and Rosalie making up comedy monologues to accompany her, a few of the other dorm kids started knocking on the door, asking to join us. Apparently we weren't the only ones enjoying ourselves tonight and we just seemed like the most fun group to be with. I recognized a few people from some of my classes, all of which I'd greeted in passing.

A couple of the girls congratulated me on a good performance, although they looked at me as if I was going to chew their heads off on the spot. I thanked them, making it come out more of a question. One of them finally admitted that they were extremely nervous to approach me. I couldn't help it- I had to laugh. Me? Unapproachable? I was the most awkward person to be around sometimes, hardly unapproachable at all. I made a mental note to make better acquaintances with them when I come back.

_When I come back_. The phrase struck me hard, I'd forgotten completely from having so much fun tonight. I looked around the room at our weird, homely group. I could never think to have this back in Forks, and the thought made it seem even more impossible to leave.

It must have been somewhere between four and five AM till we were all settled down from laughing. The group of people who'd came had left, too exhausted to try and stay awake any longer. The six of us were squeezed into a circle, having pulled the blankets off the beds and wrapped up in them. I was curled up against Edward, sharing a blanket. His eyes drooped a little and I knew it would be time for him to leave soon. We were wrapped up in a semi-sentimental conversation, Alice and I remembering all the times we had together and Rosalie giving us an overview of all the hot gossip throughout the months.

"I can't believe it's over already," Alice said sadly. I bit my lip and agreed, as did Rosalie.

"I wish we could just stay for winter break, I wouldn't mind a sunny Christmas for once," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, after his last visit, I don't think Charlie would particularly be enthused for a California trip again, and I have a feeling he wouldn't agree to letting you stick around for Christmas, too," Edward said, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. I sighed, knowing he was right.

"We can do our own little Christmas & New Year celebration when we get back," Emmett suggested, trying to stifle a yawn but failed. Rosalie caught on and pulled the blanket away from the both of them, steadying herself to her feet and pulling Emmett up with her.

"Come on, you big ole bear, it's time to get you to bed," she said after yawning herself.

"I don't want to say bye yet," Alice said quietly, although from where I could see her eyes were drooping as well. It was the part of the evening, or well, morning, that I didn't want to happen. Rosalie looked to be almost on the verge of tears. Somewhere on my right I could hear light snoring coming from Jasper. As much as I wanted to hold onto my friends right now, I knew they needed to sleep soon.

"Aw, Alice, you know you're going to see us almost every day during break. And we're going to stop by before we leave tomorrow, too."

"You guys are leaving tomorrow?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Yeah, no point in staying since we're so close. But we'll come by and say bye," Rose said.

I got up and hugged her tightly, holding back my tears as best as I could.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, catch up on some sleep, alright?" Rose said as Emmett started leaning on her, trying to keep himself awake.

"Okay, don't let him fall and don't fall asleep driving," I said as she tried to hold Emmett up some out the door. Alice called out a bye and Edward only meekly waved, sleep clearly wanting to take him over as well. Out the window, the sky had turned from a completely dark, deep blue to a sapphire. The sun wasn't due to come out until another couple of hours, but it was still pretty early. I looked back to see Alice trying to wake Jasper, but he only turned his head the other way and kept snoring lightly.

"It's okay Alice, I'll just stay with Edward tonight," I whispered to her. She looked at me thankfully, before she let out a little "oh!"

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked, scrunching my nose in confusion.

"_You know_- tell him, like you were planning on doing so tonight."

"Oh! Yeah, well, kind of. I almost forgot about that. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, whenever I decide to wake up."

Surprisingly, she only nodded at me. I would've expected Alice to get me to tell her everything right then and there since both boys were seemingly sleeping. She must be tired as well. She stood and pulled me into a hug tighter than I'd given to Rose. I even heard a slight sniffle come from her.

"Alice, don't cry, I still have to pack, you know," I tried to soothe her. She gave a small laugh as she pulled away from me and wiped at her eye.

"I know, I know, it's just that you were really amazing on that stage tonight. I was just expecting you to grow wings and fly around, it was quite magical," she said which caused me to blush fiercely. Suddenly, the recital seemed like it had happened such a long time ago.

"Thanks, Alice, really," I smiled down at her, "I guess we better tuck these two in for the night."

I bent down to try and wake Edward up, but he hardly stirred. I gave him a little shake on the arm a few times until he finally came to enough for me to lead him back to his room. I waved by to Alice from underneath Edward's shoulder and all she did was shake her head at us and laugh.

We managed to make it down the stairs to his room, and when he didn't reach into his pocket for his room key, I sighed and reached for it myself. He smiled slightly, his eyes still closed and trying to feign sleep. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. It wasn't until then had Edward finally withdrew the arm he had wrapped around my shoulders and staggered forward and fell back first onto his bed, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable. He draped his arm over his face, but the smile was still planted on his lips.

I put my hands on my hips, even though he couldn't see me.

"You are something else, Edward Cullen," I mumbled more to myself, but Edward gave a slight moan, meaning that he'd heard. He moved his arm and barely squinted and lifted his head to look at me, patting the space on the bed next to him.

"Let me get something more comfortable on," I said shaking my head and grabbing something of Edward's I'd be able to sleep in. I changed quickly in his bathroom and gave my face a half-hearted scrub. I walked out and crawled into Edward's bed next to him, wrapping my arms around his torso, pulling myself as close to him as possible. His chest fell and rose evenly, his breathing quiet. An evident sign that he was asleep. I smiled into the crook of his neck and felt my own eyes drift close. Edward shifted to wrap his arms around me, making a humming noise in his throat. I kissed his jaw line gently, in case he was still sleeping before letting sleep overtake me.

"I love you, Bella," was all I heard before I drifted to unconsciousness.

* * *

Neither of us woke up until around 2 in the afternoon, and even still as I wiped the sleep from my eyes I felt insanely groggy. I would've been happy to stay right where I was and slept some more, but the nagging voice in my head was telling me I needed to start packing. Just another reason to stay right where I was in Edward's bed.

But I did end up back in my room, trying as best as I could to slowly pack my things into my suitcase, the one I hadn't even _looked_ at since getting here. I could tell out of the corner of my eye that Alice was making this a slow task for her as well, so we chattered about anything and everything, drinking in each other's conversation even if the topic wasn't particularly great. Our conversation mainly stayed on the previous night, as Alice was too excited about the irony of my tale to think of anything else. She thought it was extremely romantic. "But if it were me and Jasper, I'd probably die and fall all over my face before I even got on the stage!"

"I know, I was surprised myself at how calm I was. I thought I was screaming in happiness on the inside."

"I thought you looked a bit paled out when you first sat down. I figured it was just nerves getting the better of you so I crossed my fingers and hoped you'd snap out of it. And when you did, I thought it worked. Guess it was Edward and not me," she said with a mock pout.

I laughed. "Maybe it did. I had no idea what I was going to do for the first two minutes of being up there."

The subject changed thankfully, to the other performances of the night and such. Alice gave a funny interpretation of a girl who'd been making faces while playing her violin. She looked like she was about to gnaw on her instrument right there on stage.

"Bella," Alice said after we had stopped laughing at something I'd mentioned, "I want you to have these." She walked to my side of the room, clutching a pair of her pink ballet slippers. And from the looks of it, the ones I had worn on Halloween.

"I know it's stupid and cheesy and I'm going to see you again soon, but I just want you to know meeting you has been one of the best things in my life. It's funny, but you're seriously the best friend I could ask for, and we only met 6 months ago!"

"Oh, Alice," I said, pulling her into a hug. Tears streamed down my face unwillingly, but I couldn't help it.

"I know I'm being all dramatic but two weeks is a long time if you think about it," she said through a thick voice.

"I know, believe me I know. I just wish we could fast forward everything right now and just be back already."

"So do I, anyway, these are yours now, maybe you can get in some practice over break and not get them all dirty and messed up," she said, holding out the slippers to me and smiling through her tears. I bumped her playfully on the shoulder.

"Thanks Alice, this is better than anything else I've ever gotten," I said as an idea hit me.

"Well since we're exchanging gifts now," I started digging through my cello case, looking for the spare set of strings I usually kept in one of the pockets. I handed them to Alice, who was looking at them with amused confusion.

"To remind you of me the entire day during Christmas," I said grinning. Alice laughed and gave me another hug.

"Thanks, Bella."

We finished packing in peaceful, comfortable silence. Each of us smiling to ourselves. I didn't feel so sad anymore, just eager. Eager to get the upcoming two weeks over with so I could be back where I belong.

We had propped the door open, since Rosalie had said she was going to stop by today to say goodbye. Instead of Rose, a lot of other people that neither Alice nor I knew really would pass by and either congratulate us or get teary-eyed and say goodbye. It was awfully odd, but Alice went along with everyone and reacted exactly how they did- either in tears or cheerfully waving back. I just shook my head at her and went back to packing slowly.

Edward knocked on our open door about half an hour later. I looked up from folding one of my shirts and smiled at him. He slept in a little longer than I was able to, but it didn't come off as a shocker to find he was finished already, being the oh-so light packer he was. But I could still see that he was a bit groggy; his hair was sticking up more than usual.

"Need any assistance?" he asked the both of us. I shook my head, but the struggling sounds of Alice trying to close her suitcase while sitting on top of it were evident of her answer.

We both laughed as she huffed and pushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

"Maybe I do," she mumbled, and Edward helped her shut the locks on the overfilled suitcase. She muttered a thank you and went to pack the rest of her things in a different case.

"Are you planning anything special tonight?" he asked as he sat on my bed, helping me stuff some things into my own case.

"Nope, not that I know of," I said. Edward had "accidently" picked up one of my bras, of course the frilliest, girly one I owned and held it up with his index finger. I snatched it as I noticed it dangling in front of me, trying to scowl at him while blushing profusely at the same time. I hastily packed it away, underneath everything that was already lying in my suitcase.

"Edward Cullen, that was not funny," I scolded as he laughed. Even Alice snickered a bit, and I shot her an equally evil glare.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," Edward apologized, but he was still laughing. I couldn't help but to roll my eyes and laugh a bit as well, even though I was still deep red.

"Why did you ask if I was doing something tonight?" I asked, in desperate need of a subject change.

"No particular reason," he said simply. I looked at him suspiciously.

"I think there is a particular reason," I pushed.

"Well, other than this is the last night I'll be able to see you for the next two weeks, no, there isn't a particular reason," he said smiling, although I felt the sadness in his words just as much as he did.

"Well, I'm all yours, as long as no blindfolds are involved," I said with warning.

"Scouts honor," he replied.

"And where exactly are we doing tonight, well, more like where?"

"You'll see."


	22. Lacrimoso

**A/N: **Okay, I'm going to be upfront and honest with you all. Yes, this really did take me a week to write. At first I told myself I'd finish this in one night when I got to 300 reviews, which I did, but then that didn't work out. The first three days, I had my Word open and ready to get to it, but then every time I'd have a moment to sit and write, my family pulls me away. So I wrote little by little over the course of 7 days, I believe. It sucked, because I wanted to just get it out and get past the bittersweetness that is this chapter (yes, I said it, it's very bittersweet!!) so I could go back to a happy epilogue ending but NOO! Anyway, I finally locked myself in my room and shelled this out. I hope it was worth it! I loved being on this little journey with you guys. I know this isn't like most twifics that have Bella and Edward sap in every corner, so being different and having you guys enjoy it makes me really happy! Anyway, enough of me talking- I know you guys have been waiting a while for this so here you go. Love you all, and don't forget to drop a review!

PS- I don't know how many of you found me through LiveJournal either through lionlamb or twilightfics, but if you have, feel free to add me! I don't post much about Twilight/fanfiction, but I like having new faces on my list :) I'm dolceallegro over there.

PPS- I came up with the quote! Just thought I'd mention since I like to boast sometimes. O:-)

* * *

It disheartened both Alice and me that we had packed up most of our clothes and belongings already, meaning she didn't get to play dress up with me and that I had limited clothing to choose from. Naturally, I just threw on a pair of jeans and a red long-sleeved top, and a light zip up hoodie over that to keep whatever low breeze there would be outside away from me. With Alice's approval at my attire, I was soon in the passenger seat of Edward's car, cradling his right hand in between mine as he drove. Thankfully, he didn't blindfold me this time, but we stayed in a comfortable, mutual silence. I savored in the moment, repeating in my mind the phrase "two weeks, two weeks." When I looked over at Edward occasionally, he was the epitome of the word "relaxed." It almost drove me crazy if I hadn't been so anxious to see where we were headed.

The drive only took about half an hour, surprisingly. It was the first time we hadn't gotten caught in a traffic jam, and I realized the irony that of course, it would happen tonight. I mused the thought to myself, not noticing that the car had parked into unfamiliar territory already. My eyebrows furrowed as I sat still in my seat, not moving to get out as I looked around. Before I knew it, the door on my right had opened up, and Edward held out his hand for me. I took it and he pulled me gently out of my seat. He shut the door behind me and started hurriedly pulling me to the sidewalk.

"Where are we?" I asked, moving my feet faster to step into stride with him. A sly smile crept on his face.

"Just hold on, it's right over here," his voice was full of excitement, which only passed on to me. I really didn't care where we were, I never did. He pulled me around the corner, like a little boy eager to head to a toy shop. His eyes were dancing wildly, even in the dark.

After a few more minutes of being pulled briskly, the darkness finally ceased and a light came into view. Off in the distance I could make out a fence wrapped around in a big circle, and the sounds of soft music and laughter filled the air as we got closer. I saw people in pairs moving, no, gliding around, and although the idea was forming in my mind, I wasn't quite sure if I could validate it until we got a little closer.

I couldn't help the grin and giggle that escaped me as I realized that yes, I was right- we were at an ice skating rink. The irony of the night still continued.

Edward had finally slowed down enough to peer down at me through the corner of his eye, but the childish excitement in his face never wavered.

"What? Don't like ice skating?"

I shook my head. "There's no way you're getting me on that thing. That's almost asking for instant death wishes."

"But I'll be right beside you, what damage could you possibly do?" he teased as he leaned back against the fence, facing me and searching for an answer.

"More than you think, and how bad would it be to remember me for the next two weeks as the girl who took everyone out at the ice skating rink?"

"What's wrong with that?" I couldn't believe he was asking me that so seriously.

I put my hands on my hips defiantly. "No."

Edward ducked his head and laughed. "Fine, fine, maybe not _now_, at least," his voice dropped a bit as he added in the last part. He pushed off the fence, taking my hand once again and settled for a walk around the rink.

It was a nice place, to say the least. Of course, it would have been slightly better had there been snow, which I had been expecting in wintertime by habit. A winter here was a summer back in Forks, and I had to keep reminding myself that. But still, the chill air was welcomed as it nipped my nose.

The more we walked, the further away we strayed from the ice rink itself. The place was kind of nice, actually. It was situated into a hilly park, hence why I hadn't noticed it when Edward had parked. It wasn't as spectacular as the other park he'd taken me to, but it was quaint- homely, in fact. We grew further and further away from the excited cries of children as they fell on their bottoms, cheesy Christmas music blaring over the speakers, and blinking lights attuned to the music. We bantered, playfully pushing each other off the side walk or jumping from out of hidden places in attempts at scaring each other over the course of half an hour. When we'd get a bit closer and could hear the holiday music again, we'd hum along, or in Edward's case, play the invisible piano in front of him. I knew it was an honest attempt on his part to get me to forget about this time tomorrow and how I'd be thousands of miles away from him, and I hated to admit it was working. I was feeling more optimistic than I had been all week, and I felt a little bad about it.

"Changed your mind about ice skating yet?" he asked me with a nod toward the rink as we made our way back. I noticed it had dwindled down a little, all which was left were either elderly couples holding onto each other as they swayed each foot slowly or young couples wrapped into each other skating more briskly. I had tried ice skating before, not on my own accord, and it hadn't ended well. I was lucky I only came out with a bruise on my arm, but I wasn't willing to take my chance at it again. I shook my head at Edward.

"No way, I'm safer on solid ground."

He sighed heavily for effect, but led me to a bench right next to the rink as we settled in. His arm came around my shoulders as I felt myself snuggling into him. I looked out among the people who were in delight. This was probably the closest thing they could get to snow or a real white Christmas. Too bad they weren't in Forks, I was sure they'd have really loved it.

"Bella," Edward broke me out of my thoughts after a few moments of silence. I turned my head up to look at him.

"Hmm?"

He furrowed his eyebrows together, obviously trying to find the words to say what he wanted to but nothing came out.

"What is it, Edward?" I pressed in an attempt to show him he could just come forth and out with what he wanted to say.

"I wanted to wait until we got back to do this, but…," he trailed off as his free hand reached into his pants pocket. When he pulled it back out, there was an oblong, black velvet box in his hands. My eyes widened at it.

"I figured now is as good a time than any other," he finished quietly, holding the box out for me to take.

"Edward-,"

"Just open it first," he cut me off. His lips were pursed together, obviously waiting for my reaction. I was still too stunned to even realize that he had placed the box in my hands.

Hesitantly, I opened it and my jaw nearly fell off its hinges. A beautiful silver charm bracelet lay on the deep blue pillow inside the box. On each side was a small, silver charm in the shape of a cello. But in the middle fell a longer, rectangular charm. I sucked in my breath, looking back up at Edward's awaiting gaze. I had never really received a gift from anyone, aside from my parents on holidays, so I didn't really know how to respond. I was awestruck, to say the least.

"Oh my, Edward, this is so beautiful," was all I was able to say. It seemed to be all he needed though, because he broke out into a wide grin.

"I was saving it for after Christmas, but I didn't want to wait till then to see you wear it. May I?"

He gently picked up the bracelet from the box, pulling my arm towards him and clasped it around my wrist. It fit perfectly. He held my arm, gazing upon it with a happy smile. He pulled my wrist up and placed a kiss on it.

"Did you read it?" he asked, fingering the rectangular charm.

"Read what?"

"This one," he gestured. I pulled my hand away softly and held the charm between my fingers and squinted to read the middle charm.

"_None is as beautiful as she when the music becomes her."_

It was so tiny, I could barely read it. As soon as I made it out, my eyes flew back to Edward, who was smiling softly at me. I was still at a loss for words. I let my actions speak for me instead.

I threw my arms around him, almost knocking him backwards, and kissed him with everything I had.

I felt his arms wrap around me as he steadied me from falling off and to the ground, his body language telling me I had caught him off-guard, but he relaxed and pulled me closer to him. I finally had to come up for air, but I didn't stop my assault on his lips as I spoke through kisses.

"Edward, you're just… simply too… amazing for words… you're perfect… thank you…,"

I felt his lips pull up into a smile from underneath mine as he chuckled.

"Bella, I can't breathe," he breathed out as he loosened my grip on him. I pulled away only slightly, but I still didn't stop kissing him all over.

"Bella, people are watching."

That made me stop a little. I pulled away only slightly, peaking out of the corner of my eye to see a few couples had stopped on the rink and were now giving us looks. I blushed and sat back down on the bench, but still kept my arms around him.

"Thank you, Edward, it's beautiful," I repeated. Edward shook his head.

"Not as beautiful as you."

I blushed again and kissed him one more time, making sure it didn't last very long for the gaping of the people ahead of us.

"I love you," I whispered, snuggling into the crook of his neck.

"Well, if I knew all I had to do was buy you some nice jewelry to get this kind of reaction out of you, I'd have done it a long time ago," he said with a laugh. I looked up from his neck and beaded my eyes at him.

"I loved you before you bought me anything. I guess I have to take back what I said then," I said teasingly.

"Oh no, you don't."

I smiled smugly at him.

"I love you, Isabella," he said as he lifted my hand to his lips.

"I have to ask, how did you manage to slip by me and get this?" I asked as I realized that I had been with him so much that it was almost impossible for him to have snuck off to find such a gift.

He smiled wickedly.

"I had Rosalie pull a few favors for me."

"What??" I nearly shrieked. I was more in shock that Rosalie hadn't told me about it earlier. "When?"

"A few weeks ago. I asked if she could stop at a few shops for me and pick something out since I'm completely clueless about this stuff. But I told her what it had to have, and I do take credit for that inscription, thank you," he said proudly. I laughed a little, surprised by the fact that Rosalie had chosen something so subtle and not so… flashy. Guess she really did know me better than I thought.

"Of course, tattle on her when I won't see her for a whole two weeks."

"She was sworn to secrecy, and I really thought she would've cracked. I'm shocked she didn't, really."

"Well, I'm sure she was a little preoccupied with other things to remember, anyway."

He nodded in agreeance.

"Still not up for a quick skate?"

I glared at him, taken aback a little at the change of subject.

"No."

He resorted to pouting, and I had to turn my head away from him to resist.

"You aren't getting me on that rink!" I said, crossing my arms.

He sighed like he did before when I refused, and then chuckled.

"Alright fine, let's get out of here then."

He pulled me up by my hand and we headed back.

* * *

The previous night was completely blissful compared to the next morning.

I was awoken by Alice shaking me gently at 9:30 in the morning. I kept my eyes closed, hoping that she would just leave me be so that I wouldn't be forced to go, but then I felt a disappearance of my sheets and I yelped at the sudden change of climate. She gave me an apologetic look as she stalked off to the bathroom.

We both got ready and packed whatever was left in silence. I was afraid of saying anything, fearing my voice would betray me and come out choked.

By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, all our belongings were in our hands as we met Edward and Jasper in the hallway of the dorm building.

I looked to Alice, whose eyes were shining over by now.

"Alice, don't cry! It's just two weeks!" I tried to reassure her, but she only blinked a few times and smiled sadly.

"I know, but it's going to be so long. Promise me you'll start working on a better wardrobe so I can dress you up more often?"

"Sure thing, Alice," I said with a laugh. I let go of my luggage and squeezed her tightly. She sniffled loudly as she pulled away. I hugged Jasper briefly as he patted my back.

"Take care, Bella."

I waved goodbye to my friends as I turned back to Edward, who had already picked up my stuff. He seemed so melancholy compared to his bubbling personality last night. I knew he was feeling the harsh reality of being away from each other like I was.

I felt like a prisoner being transferred to a maximum security cell. Well, not that extreme really, but I was sure that this is how it felt to be ripped apart from everything you've come to grow and love. We sat in silence, but I was sure all my raging emotions that were stinging in the back of my eyes, threatening to leak out and embarrass me, were pulsing through the tips of my fingers where I grasped Edward's as if I was holding on for dear life. It shook me how strong I was feeling; never had I felt so attached to something. Well, besides the obvious- music. I was never the type of girl who needed to cling onto someone to feel secure, wanted and needed. But here I was, becoming just that.

And never had I wanted a car ride to last as long as I did this one. I hoped and prayed that we would hit every red light, that every car on the road right now would pass us and drive extremely slow. I even hoped that I might miss my flight altogether, and by some random force of nature, every flight scheduled from LAX to Sea-Tac had been cancelled forever. Or well, just until after the holidays, I could be a little generous.

But of course, fate never worked to my favor very much. We arrived faster than I anticipated, the black cloud ever as prominent over my head. Occasionally in the car, I'd look over to Edward, whose expression was for once totally unreadable. His mouth was pressed to a thin line, but his eyes bore no burden. For all I knew, he could've been having just as much as an internal battle as I was, but he was completely solid on the outside.

It was all in slow motion, from the moment I unbuckled my seatbelt to getting in line to check my bags in. Edward clutched onto both of my bags while I had my cello slung across my shoulder. The line inched, and each step closer we took, the more I tightened my grip on Edward's arm. I could feel his eyes linger down on me every once in a while, and when I'd catch him, he'd only smile. Not a real smile, but a smile none-the-less. I couldn't handle it. I heaved a big sigh, which caused him to look down at me again with a questioning look on his face.

"Something wrong?" he asked, his voice a little raspy. I noticed it was the first time he'd said anything since we'd left school, although it felt like we were saying what we needed to the entire time. I shook my head.

"No, well, besides the obvious," I said, giving him a small assertive smile. He nodded his head in understanding.

"Don't think about it okay? Just keep in mind how short it'll be," he said as he let go of the bags in each hand and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him and kissing the side of my head. I hadn't realized how tense I had been until I felt his touch, that's when I instantly relaxed. For a split second, I had all but forgotten where I was. The only thing that flashed through my mind was Edward and the love that radiated between us. The line inched again, leaving us behind two more people until it was my turn to check in. I felt the hesitance as he unwrapped his arms from me and picked up my bags again as we both shuffled forward.

After the people in front of us moved forward, we were finally called to an available attendant. I bit my lip as we both walked towards her. She was smiling brightly at us, and a part of me wanted to scowl at her cheerfulness. Who could be so happy right now?

"Hello!" she exclaimed.

"Hi," I mumbled as I dug through my backpack for my ticket and ID. Edward placed my bags on the side weight station as I shrugged off my own instrument off me. He took it and placed it gently next to my cases. I handed the woman my ticket and she pulled it out of the envelope to run it through. I noticed her smile fade a little as she realized she pulled out one ticket only.

"Traveling alone?" she asked, looking between Edward and me. I really wanted to hit her.

"Unfortunately," I mumbled. She pursed her lips together, realizing that we both weren't quite happy at the moment. She slid my ticket through the machine, marked me off and took my bags in. I pouted a little as my bags and cello were whisked away- now I truly couldn't resort to throwing a tantrum and staying put with Edward now. She handed me my ticket, smiling only slightly at us.

"Have a safe flight," I took note of her choice of adjective. Safe, not nice. Not "enjoy your flight" either. Just safe. As in "please don't throw yourself out of the plane just because you're going to be away from the love of your life for two whole weeks." Man, she was more observant that she let on. But I suppose she could also sense my distraught, and how there would be no possible way for me to have a "nice" or "enjoyable" flight if I had to go through it alone.

I swung my bag over my back again as we both walked off from the check-in queue. This time, Edward latched onto my hand and I reeled in his touch. I felt myself calming down little by little with each circle he rubbed on my hand with his thumb. He stopped when we were in front of security check, and he looked down at me with sadness.

"No way, no goodbyes right now. I'm milking this until I have to run after the plane. I'm not going to go through there until I need to," I said. I still had about an hour to kill, anyway, and there was no way I was going to spend it sitting at a terminal waiting area with only my depressing thoughts to keep me company.

"Bella, you'll be late and you'll miss the flight," he said in a fatherly tone.

"If I'm lucky," I mumbled under my breath. I pulled him to a nearby bench without another whim from him. I wrapped my arms around his torso, flinging his arm around my shoulders as we sat. He chuckled softly at my demanding attitude.

"What am I going to do without you here?" he whispered in my ear. I had to close my eyes and bit down really hard on my lip to keep the saline from leaking out of my eyes. I hated feeling this way, I was supposed to be looking forward to getting over this bump in the road but I couldn't shake it. It was like beating a dead horse; I just couldn't overcome it.

"Well, I could name a few things," I said, opening my eyes again as soon as I thought it was safe. A smile tugged at my face.

"Oh? Like what?" he continued on with the teasing.

"Well, for one you can sleep peacefully for once without me yakking away in my dreams, you can use both articles of clothing for pajamas, not to mention not having to lug around my stuff and seeing me every Wednesday...," I trailed off, hurt by my own words. Even with the prospect of coming back, I realized just now that I wouldn't be seeing Edward every Wednesday for our rehearsals. I felt my heart rip a little more.

Edward chuckled and pulled me closer to his side. "That's exactly what I'm going to miss."

"I'm sad that I won't get to be able to be trapped in a practice room with you every Wednesday ever again," I said quietly, trying to keep my tone light but the emotion still slipped through. I could see Edward's eyes dance with mischief.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to get in a couple practice times…"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Although we probably won't get much practicing done anyway."

"True, but that won't stop me," I smirked at him.

"Then let's make it a permanent date. Every Wednesday, same practice room," he said excitedly, then paused, "instrument optional."

"Perv!" I swatted his arm.

"Maybe so, but that makes you one as well."

I couldn't say anything back really, so I just glared and slumped back into my seat.

We stayed that way for the next fifty minutes, until something I had been thinking about slapped me.

"I don't have your number," I blurted.

"What?"

"I just realized I don't have a way of calling you!"

He furrowed his eyebrows at me and then broke out into a full out laugh.

"Five months together and we don't even have each other's numbers. How backwards are we?" he said as he pulled a pen out of my backpack. He pulled my hand towards him, the one that had his bracelet clasped around me (that I simply refused to take off) and jotted down his number. I laughed at how juvenile it was as he drew a big heart around it.

"There. I expect a call every day."

"Of course," I said with a smile. My eyes averted to the clock, and my smile instantly fell. He noticed and followed my gaze, and then he sighed. He stood up and pulled me to my feet.

"'Fraid we can't stall anymore," he said in a sad tone. It was so weird to have such a mood shift. I was almost ready to just say "forget it" and stay; the plane could have my bags if they wanted.

We walked hand in hand back to the security checkpoint. Edward turned to me and I felt the water returning to my eyes. _I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry._

I moved closer to him and hugged him closely, breathing him in and etching every structure of his chest into my fingers. His own hands brushed my hair back and I felt his lips move along my jaw and neck. He was going to make this impossible.

"I'm going to count down every second of every day until I get to see you again," he whispered in my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut against his chest.

He had to walk me over to the queue line that was waiting to pass through the metal detectors. He pulled me to him once more, crashing his lips down on mine. It nearly knocked the wind out of me, but I pulled him closer to me. After a moment he pulled away, placing both his hands on either side of my face. His thumbs rubbed smoothing circles as his forehead touched mine.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, Bella."

He kissed me once, twice, three more times before he finally let go and took a step backwards. Each step he took backwards, my heart cracked a little more. His eyes never left mine until he got to the revolving doors of the airport, and he was finally outside. I heaved one last sigh and turned back to the front of the line, starting my own count-off until I was on a plane coming back to the place I'd be leaving my heart in.


	23. Finale

**A/N: **Just wanted to mention again that to all the people who reviewed and followed this story, I love you! I know I had a fun run with it. And I know a lot of you have asked but, no sadly, there will not be a sequel. Actually... I take that back. I'll put it on the backburner, but it won't be anytime soon if I do! For those who enjoyed Elegie, I suggest you check out The Bet Against Fate if you haven't, that ones going to have all the lemony goodness I wanted to write in this story but couldn't bring myself to do so. heaves a sigh Anyway, here you go, the epilogue you've all been waiting for. Don't forget to drop a review, just one last time! Much love, everyone!

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate everything about airports and airplanes. But unlike the last time I'd been in one, I felt like I was moving towards the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I was hopeful, annoyed, but still hopeful.

The last two weeks had been awful, just as I'd predicted. I suppose it was more of just me making myself miserable, but I couldn't help it. I found myself constantly looking at the clock, hoping that it would just move faster. I was surprised I even lasted that long.

Being back home in Forks just made me realize how badly I needed to get away from it. A part of me always knew I wasn't meant to stay in a small town, and it was a kind of personal mark for me to go out on my own to prove it to myself, and everyone else. I think I showed them a little too much, because as soon as some old friends had seen me, they were practically ecstatic to see me, whereas I was… not.

I guess I'd been a little too rough on them, and more dramatic towards Charlie than he would've expected. Christmas had definitely been an event.

It was selfish of me, but I was glad I was twenty minutes away from landing in LAX. The only obstacle left in my way now was the crying babies on the plane.

Alice had arranged to pick me up, and although I wanted to automatically object and have Edward come instead, I bit my tongue and agreed. I missed my best friend dearly. I missed waking up and having an outfit laid out for me already, or having her pull and tug my hair with her curling iron. I smiled to myself as every memory of Alice came back to me. Why did it feel like I hadn't seen her in over years when really, it was only weeks?

It was silly; I mean I did make it out alive after this little vacation. Barely, but still.

The captain came on the intercom overhead but I didn't hear a word. I was too engrossed in my own thoughts of seeing familiar faces that the flight attendant had to come over and ask me personally to fasten my seatbelt. Ugh, the part I hated most.

I squeezed my eyes closed the entire time the plane landed, and concentrated on keeping my racing heart in my chest and out of my throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the crew and me, we wish to thank you for a safe flight here to Los Angeles Airport. Have a pleasant trip wherever your destination takes you."

My eyes flew open and I had to keep from jumping up in excitement. In less than an hour, I'd be where I belong.

I fell in line after grabbing my bag to exit out of the plane. As soon as I emerged into the expanse that was LAX, I took in a deep breath as a smile crossed my face.

Getting through to the baggage claim where I was supposed to meet Alice, I skimmed through the crowd for her face. I crinkled my brows; she was nowhere to be found. The crowd was surprisingly sparse, too, so I knew it wouldn't be too hard to find her. I check the time on the wall overhead, 12:35. My flight was on time, and she even said she'd be here at noon sharp so she wouldn't miss me. I shrugged and turned to the revolving baggage claim, I might as well grab my stuff before she finds me.

After a few circulations of the bags that were on the machine already, I let out a great big yelp as a pair of arms suddenly was squeezing the lungs out of me and a feminine squeal was right in my ear.

"Bella! Oh my god, I missed you so much!"

After a minute of realization of what was happening, I noticed it wasn't Alice's shrill voice in my ear. It was Rosalie's!

"Rose? What're you doing here? I thought Alice was picking me up?" I turned in her arms to give her a proper hug. She had a tinge of red on her nose from the wind whipping about outside.

"She's here, somewhere, she wanted to surprise you," Rosalie said as she squeezed me again.

"Is it just you two?" I tried to keep the hope out of my voice, but she deflated me with a nod of her head.

"Yep, the boys are all back at school right now waiting for us. Did you grab your bags yet?"

"No, I-,"

"Bella!" another shrill voice cut me off as I heard my name. I turned my head to see the short frame of Alice running towards me with her arms held out. She collided into me and I may have squeezed her tighter than she could on me.

"Alice! I missed you!" And I did, I felt my heart pick up at the sight of my friends.

"Me, too! I see Rosalie found you already, though, I got lost trying to find your terminal," she confessed.

I laughed as Rosalie shook her head at Alice and rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, let's find your bag before pixie over here gets lost again."

We all inched up closer to wait for my bag (yes, bag. I had managed to stuff all my clothes in the smaller of my suitcases so as to not cause a repeat of the beginning of last semester) and cello to pass by, catching up with each other on what we missed in the last two weeks. I felt out of tune with them a little. They told me about their Christmas with Jasper and Emmett when I suddenly burst out, interrupting Alice.

"Jasper! And Emmett! I almost forgot they were going to be there, too!" I felt silly about my admittance, but I was excited. I had been away from them for far too long.

They both just raised an eyebrow at me and laughed.

"Duh, Bella. It's not like we all moved away for the last five years, you know," Rosalie said, playfully thumping me on the head.

"Shut up, it's just… I don't know. It feels like it's my first day back again, only better."

But the conversation didn't go farther since my luggage came around the corner. Rosalie helped me by grabbing my cello case as I grabbed my suitcase.

"Took them long enough, now come on, school awaits!"

* * *

I instantly ran for my old room as soon as we were parked, not even bothering to help with my own luggage. I heard Alice and Rosalie yelling after me but I didn't pay them any mind, I was so close to Edward right now, I could care less about anything else.

I dashed up the stairs taking them two at a time and turned the corner sharply to my room, thankful the door had been propped open. I came to a halt right in the doorway, panting a bit from running.

There he was, in all his handsome glory, sitting on the edge of my bed looking down at something in his hands.

I couldn't speak, like my mind had gone into shock and the moment I had ached for, for the last two weeks, was here now and my tongue decided not to work.

He looked up suddenly, and his eyes burned into mine. My favorite crooked smile lit up his face and that was all it took for me to run to him and knock him over on the bed, my arms snaking around his neck as I pressed myself to him.

He let out a slight "oof!" at our impact but I didn't care. I couldn't pull my gaze from him when I pulled my head back from where I'd buried it in his neck. I didn't want to skip any moment I had to commit to memory the intensity of his eyes.

He closed the distance between us and pressed his lips on mine. And just like a fire that had dwindled down considerably in me, the flames heightened by mere contact.

His lips curled up from underneath mine and he pulled away agonizingly slowly.

"Welcome home, Bella." His voice didn't reach past a whisper as his thumb trailed down my cheek.

_Home_. Where I belonged, here with Edward.

This was definitely going to be a good semester.


	24. AN: Nom, nom, nominations!

Hi everyone, long time no see! I just wanted to mention that someone special (;)!) has nominated lil old Elegie Adagio for the Twilight Awards! Honestly when I started Elegie Adagio, the thought of a nomination for ANY kind of reward never crossed my mind, so needless to say I'm seriously blown away by this. If you faithful people could head on over to www(dot)twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com when voting starts, I'd love you forever! Not that I don't already, but 10 times more the loving never hurt anyone! Thanks bunches guys, I really owe it to you all!


End file.
